Higher Power Meltdown
by Jessan151
Summary: Life is perfect for Lilly Truscott and Miley Stewart...until a mysterious organization known as The Shop takes an interest in them. Nothing will ever be the same again. Liley. Joliver.
1. Prologue

**Alright, well, welcome back to those that read my first story, and if you're just joining us...I hope you'll like it. Here is the beginning to give you a taste of what's to come...**

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**Prologue**

**Smith & Franklin Accounting Firm **

**Denver, Colorado; May 22, 2009**

It was just another day in John Truscott's now average life. He woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, then headed off to work. He never suspected that today would be the day that his life would change forever.

At 9:48 A.M. there was a sharp knock on John's office door.

"Come in." John called out from behind his desk.

The door opened and two men wearing black suits entered. Both gentlemen were wearing black sunglasses and showed no expression whatsoever. After closing the door, the larger of the two men stood in front of the door and crossed his arms, apparently guarding the door. As his beefy arms pulled his suit jacket up, John noticed the handgun in his belt.

The slightly smaller man approached the desk and took a seat in front of John. He crossed his leg and sat in a relaxed fashion. "John Truscott I presume?" he asked calmly, removing his sunglasses and putting them in the breast pocket of his jacket.

John was slightly unnerved by the actions of the two men, especially since one of them had a gun. Their appearance, attitude, and actions all seemed to indicate something menacing. If they were trying to intimidate the accountant, they were doing a bang up job. "Yes? What can I do for you gentlemen?" he asked professionally, trying desperately to fight against the fear he felt swelling in his chest.

"My name is Mr. Adams." he said, resting his hand against his chest. "My associate is Mr. Brown." he explained, pointing to the larger man at the door. "And we are here for your help."

John's sense of dread was increasing with each passing second. These men were obviously not normal clients. "Well, I'll do everything I can…" he said, before being rudely cut off by a hand slamming down on his desk.

Mr. Adams now looked annoyed as he leaned forward over John's desk. "Stop. Don't talk unless I ask you a question." he said bearing his teeth. "Are we clear?" he said coldly.

John tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat. "Yes sir." he answered quietly.

Mr. Adams sat back in his chair and crossed his hands in his lap. "Your wife took part in a governmental experiment 18 years ago. Is that correct?"

John became quite nauseas at the question. He had tried everything in his power to distance himself from his ex-wife and daughter. Apparently, he hadn't tried hard enough.

The only thing he could do in this situation was cooperate with the men in front of him and hope for the best. Feeling defeated, he closed his eyes. "Yes."

Mr. Adams seemed pleased with John's willingness to cooperate and his ability to follow directions. "You had a child with that woman, did you not?" he then asked.

John nodded once more. "Yes." he spoke softly, as fear gripped his heart. His greatest nightmare was becoming a reality. Somebody wanted his little girl and they were going to use him to get to her.

Mr. Adams crossed his arms and tapped his index finger to his chin. "When was the last time you had contact with either of them?" he asked thoughtfully.

John hesitated only for a few seconds as he calculated the timeframe in his head. "6 years ago." he answered.

John watched as Mr. Adams pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed a number. "Tell, Maverick that Mr. Truscott has been located and will be assisting us in acquiring the target." A pause. "Understood. We will set up surveillance first thing tomorrow and see if an opportunity presents itself for acquisition."

Mr. Adams closed his phone and stood up from his chair. "So, will you leave the building quietly or do you prefer walking out at gunpoint?" he asked, sliding back his jacket to reveal a handgun in a shoulder holster.

John shook his head. "I'll do whatever you want." he said as he stood up from behind his desk. "Just don't hurt me." he pleaded, grabbing his coat.

Mr. Adam's smiled cruelly and motioned for John to head to the door. "Good. I think its time for a family reunion." he joked.

Mr. Brown opened the door and grabbed John's elbow to steer him out of the office.

In less than three minutes, John was in the back seat of an unmarked car, speeding off to an unknown destination, praying for his life.

**Hollywood, California; May 23, 2009**

Jake Ryan was preparing to exit his trailer and head over to makeup to get ready for his 11:00 A. M. call time. As he opened the door to his trailer, he was surprised to find two men; one blonde, one bald, in black suits standing on the steps to his trailer.

Jake put on his best smile and held up his hands in apology. "Sorry guys, I'm running behind for make up. No time for autographs today." he tried to say with a winning smile on his face.

As he tried to step past the men, the blonde grabbed his upper arm roughly, pulled open the trailer door and shoved him back inside.

"Hey, what's the big idea." Jake screamed at his two unwelcome visitors. Jake tried to push past them, but was quickly shoved backwards onto his couch.

The blonde man that had just pushed him down was the first to speak. "Sit down and shut up." he commanded.

Jake Ryan would not be intimidated. "I'll have you thrown off this lot!" he shouted in typical Hollywood diva fashion.

The bald man, who until this point had been calmly standing behind the blonde, bent down, picked up wooden chair, and busted it against the closet door. The chair fell to the floor in numerous pieces.

The blonde man watched as Jake went from brave to scared shitless in two seconds flat. After the trailer had reached an eerie quiet, the blonde addressed the young actor. "Now that we have your attention, you will sit there. Quietly. When I ask you a question, you will answer it. Do you understand?"

Jake was terrified at this point and would do anything to save himself from the same fate as his poor chair. "Y-y-yeah." he stuttered.

The blonde crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the terrified young man. "Did you date Miley Stewart?" he calmly asked.

Jake blinked repeatedly after hearing the question. At first, he didn't understand why any would care about one of his ex-girlfriends. Then he remembered who Miley Stewart was to the rest of the world. If these guys knew that Miley was really Hannah Montana, then he wasn't sure who was in more danger…him or her.

"Um, uh…" he stumbled, trying to figure out what information the men wanted.

"Answer me!!" the blonde roared, stepping closer to the actor.

"Yes! Yes!" he finally screamed in terror throwing his hands up in front of his face for protection.

The blonde nodded his head. "When was the last time you saw her?" he demanded.

Jake's mind was racing trying to remember the last time he had seen Miley. It was when he and Mikalya were doing that movie together. "Um, about, a year and half." he answered.

The blonde narrowed his eyes and reached down to grab the actor by his collar. "Have you maintained contact with her?" he said through gritted teeth.

Jake could only remember one other time in his life when he had been more terrified. Ironically, it also indirectly involved Miley Stewart. It was the night Lilly Truscott threatened his life if he ever hurt Miley Stewart again. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. If he didn't help these men, they might kill him. If he hurt Miley, Lilly would kill him. He decided that he would have a better chance with Lilly, at least he might get some compassion from her, These men clearly wouldn't have any. "Y-y-yea." he wheezed as the man cut off his air flow.

After hearing the actor's response, the blonde man released him, tossing him back into the couch. "Give me your phone." the blonde instructed, holding out his hand.

Jake pulled his cell out of his pocket and handed over the phone as ordered. He watched as the man typed 10 numbers into the phone and then hit send, saving it to the phone memory. Then the man punched several more keys on the keypad before lowering the phone to Jake's eye level.

Jake saw that the blonde had programmed the number into his contact list.

"If this number rings, you will answer it. If you do not answer, you are putting your life at risk. If anyone calls from this number, you will listen to the instructions and do as you are told, otherwise you are putting your life at risk. If Stewart contacts you for any reason, you will call this number and tell them exactly what she says." he paused. "Do you understand your instructions?"

Jake nodded as the blonde tossed his phone at him.

"And one last thing." he said, pulling a gun from behind his back and pointing it at Jake's face. "You tell NO ONE about our little visit. We were never here. Understand?"

Jake stared at the barrel of the gun and started hyperventilating. Jake couldn't make himself speak, but he managed to nod his head. He was too terrified to do anything else.

The blonde chuckled at the boy's fearful reaction. "Good kid." he responded sarcastically. The blonde re-hid his gun and then nodded to his partner. The two men quickly exited the trailer.

Jake looked down at his phone and re-read the contact name that was left on the screen.

_The Shop_.

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**So that is where we begin. This is going to be even more fun than last time...but just one word of caution, it's not going to end well for everyone. So strap in, hold tight and enjoy the ride...love to read comments. - Jess**


	2. Ch 1 Everything

**Alright, a few things I would like to point out before we get kicking...this story takes place 18 months after Higher Power ended. This chapter will fill in alot about that time frame. If anyone is wondering...yes, I purposely left a lot of things open for exploration at a later point and time. And lastly...just so I don't drive myself crazy...if any character thinks something and Miley "hears" it..._it will appear in italics_.**

**Now let's get this show on the road...**

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**Chapter 1 - Everything**

**Malibu, California; May 28, 2009**

The scene in the living room of the Stewart household on this Thursday evening was the stuff Norman Rockwell paintings were made from.

Two content adults were snuggled together on the couch. Robbie Ray Stewart rested on his side, with his right arm wrapped around the pillow under his head. His other arm was wrapped around the trim waist of the beautiful Heather Truscott, who was pressed snugly up against the front of his body.

After their daughters had finally gotten together, Heather and Robbie wasted no time in advancing their own steadily growing relationship. They had continued to date, but for their own reasons, refused to move in together. They spent every week-end together and usually the only thing that kept the two apart was a Hannah event. All three of their kids were encouraging the adults to take the plunge and move in together, but the adults kept insisting that they were perfectly content with their current living arrangements.

Robbie Ray had continued writing songs, but now his focus was mainly Hannah Montana. Last March, Hannah's third album was released. _Hannah Montana: Meet My _Music had gone platinum in two weeks. Her most recent album, _Breakout _was released three weeks ago. It had gone platinum within the first week. _7 Things _was the first single released off the album, and it became her tenth straight number one hit. Robbie Ray was extremely proud of his little girl and of everything he had helped her to accomplish.

Heather's career had also been flourishing. About the middle of last year, she was named the Branch Manager of National Realty's Southern California Division. Apparently, dedication pays dividends in time. After 20 years with the company, her job now including a company car, an expense account, and six figures a year.

On the far side of the room, sitting on the chair closest to the kitchen was Miley's older brother Jackson. The fun loving young man was currently sitting upside down, with his head where his feet should have been, giggling madly at the movie they were watching.

Jackson had graduated last summer from Seaview High School, surprisingly with honors. He was accepted to the University of Southern California - Berkley's engineering program. He had taken his last final the previous week and had moved back home for the summer. Despite the relatively short commute, Jackson had chosen to live in the dorms on campus. But since he still had his car, he still came home quite often.

Jackson's biggest change from high school to college, was getting a steady girlfriend.

In his freshmen psychology class, he met the lovely Jordan Sinclair. She was about 5'6'', with a short brown bob, green eyes, and an athletic build. She was sweet, smart, funny, and according to Jackson…an amazing kisser. She played on the field hockey team and was a member of the campus BiGaLA organization.

The two freshmen had hit it off immediately and Jackson brought her home for Thanksgiving two months later. The entire family had been taken in by her charm and sense of humor and by the end of Thanksgiving break had unanimously given Jackson their approval. The two had been a couple ever since.

The last remaining male in the room was laying on the floor in front of the couch. He wasn't related to anyone in the room, but he was still considered a member of the family; Oliver Oken.

Oliver had grown out of his awkward adolescent phase and had turned into quite a heart breaker. He joined the Seaview High swim team last November and his coach put him on a weight training program. The results had been stunning. Thanks to a little dedication and hard work, he now had broad shoulders, well-defined arms, nice abs, and well developed chest that looked amazing on his 5'7'' frame. He wore his dark hair in a long shag and had finally succeeded in getting himself a girlfriend. He and Joannie Palumbo had been an item for the past six months. As if the physical changes weren't enough to increase the boy's cool factor, three months ago he and some of his skater buddies put together a rock band. He was the lead singer.

Despite the change in his appearance, joining the swim team, getting a girlfriend, and singing in a rock band, Oliver was still envied for one thing above all that. He was the best friend of Lilly Truscott.

Lilly was currently sitting on the chair closest to the door with her girlfriend held snugly in her arms. Miley was laying sideways on Lilly's lap, with her legs hanging over the arm of the chair and her head resting on the blonde's shoulder. Lilly's right arm was wrapped securely around Miley's back, while the singer held the surfer's left arm captive on her lap.

Once the girls had finally admitted their feelings for each other, they both seemed to excel in every aspect of their lives.

Miley's singing career had skyrocketed. Over the past year, Hannah Montana had become _the_ hottest recording artist in the entire country. Miley rocked a sold out tour last summer and had another one lined up for this year. It was starting shortly after school let out in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Athletically speaking, Lilly had a phenomenal year. She helped lead the Seaview High Girls Soccer Team to the District Title. She had participated in some local skate competitions and brought home several trophies. And her crowning achievement was winning the Southern California Amateur Surfing Championship last September.

After the competition, the blonde had been approached by several sponsors eager to try to convince her to join the pro circuit. Lilly had politely declined their offers, but vowed to return to defend her title the following year.

School was not a problem whatsoever. Academically speaking, both girls maintained high averages, and both consistently appeared on the honor roll. Socially speaking, no one gave them any kind of grief. The girls had made no attempt to hide their romantic relationship from anyone. If they wanted to hold hands, hug, or kiss each other on school grounds, they did. If anyone had a problem with the girls being together, no one was brave enough to say anything to the girls' faces. This was probably due to Lilly's reputation for being extremely overprotective of Miley. Or maybe it was the surfer's willingness to teach someone a lesson in manners, violently if necessary.

The other reason that school wasn't a problem for the two girls…puberty had done amazing things to the former 'dorks' of Seaview Middle School.

It's been said that sometimes the last flower to bloom is the most beautiful. Damn straight.

Miley had gained a few inches and now stood at about 5'7''. She had always been well proportioned, but now her body neared model status. Her chest had filled out nicely and her curves were smooth and feminine. All the dancing during last summer's three month tour had helped to tighten and tone her budding young body. Miley's long legs looked killer in a pair of heels, her stomach was flat and firm, and her ass looked incredible in a pair of tight jeans. Her hair had lengthened to the middle of her back and she had added some blonde highlights. Her face had thinned out a little to help define her high cheekbones and perfect smile.

There was no doubt about it. Hannah Montana was fucking gorgeous.

In contrast, Lilly's body had always been muscular between all her avid exercise, athletic activities, and of course from her power; but the last year had made the changes even more striking. The surfer stood at modest 5'4''. Her blonde hair was roughly as long as Miley's, but was now more of a yellowish blonde from all her time spent in the sun. Her healthy tan helped highlight the muscle definition in her arms and legs, leaving the outlines of the muscles obvious even when unflexed. Her breasts were a modest size, but sat high and proud on her firm chest. But without a doubt, Lilly's finest asset was her stomach. She had an amazing v-cut that only helped to highlight her insanely defined abdominals. She had a sexy six pack that most men would kill for. Her face had retained its childlike quality, but also thinned out to highlight a striking pair of ocean blue eyes and a strong chin.

The surfer's killer body in a bikini brought new meaning to the words 'sex on the beach'.

So in the past year, Miley and Lilly had become the two hottest girls at Seaview High School. The other girls envied their looks, their confidence, and their loving relationship with one another. The guys just wanted them for their bodies. Needless to say, they were quite popular. So popular in fact, that earlier this month, they were named Queens of the Junior Prom.

The girls' romantic relationship had quickly matured and with their parents' approval, it had become sexual on Lilly's 16th birthday. The girls had maintained an active and very satisfying sex life ever since. Despite their parent's approval, they were only allowed to share a bed on non-school nights. Even though the girls would have preferred to spend every night together, given their ages, they were too appreciative of the concessions their parents were willing to afford them.

From a power stand point, Miley had grown a lot. She had gained complete control over her mind reading ability and only heard people's thoughts when she wanted to hear them. She had been practicing with Lilly on trying to put her own thoughts into someone else's mind, but she just couldn't seem to make that work yet.

As far as her telekinesis, Miley had worked hard to strengthen her mind. The more she practiced, the stronger she got. Miley was now capable of moving things weighing thousands of pounds, with very little strain to herself. Before the girls started dating, Miley had never consistently used her power. Lilly had convinced the singer that constant practice was important. Thankfully, Miley listened to her girlfriend and benefitted from her experience.

Lilly had all but mastered her powers to the point of subconscious thought. She never had to actively think about using them anymore, it just happened on demand. Whether she wanted to walk through a wall or lift a car, the result was instantaneous.

Lilly did discover one variation of her powers. If she wanted, she could actually hide her phased body within another solid object. The only downside was the fact that she could only do it for as long as she could hold her breath. Fortunately, being an avid swimmer, Lilly could easily hold her breath for over a minute.

The girls had become very careful over the years not to use their powers in public. Surprisingly, after all this time, Oliver _still_ didn't know about the girls' powers. If he did suspect something, he had never told either of them about it.

Tomorrow was the last day of school for Oliver, Lilly, and Miley. By this time tomorrow, they would be seniors.

The end of the school year excited the girls for several reasons. They wouldn't waste eight hours a day listening to boring lectures. They were going to travel all over the country with the _Breakout Tour_. And most importantly, they would be sleeping together every night for the next three months. Everything was going to be perfect.

As the credits for _The Hangover_ began to roll, the clock struck 10 P.M. Oliver looked over at the clock and growled lightly. "Stupid curfew." he grumbled as he got up from the floor and stretched his stiff muscles.

Jackson chuckled at the plight of the younger boy. "Oliver, don't be that way. It's a school night and you know damn well that Miley and Lilly are gonna get chased to bed soon too." he said, thumbing a finger at his sisters on the far chair.

Heather sat up from her comfortable position on the couch. "That's very true. Come on Lil. Time to move." she said standing up.

Lilly buried her head in Miley's neck and groaned. "Awww."

Oliver watched Lilly's reaction to her mother's words and knew they were going to get into it. "Oh I recognize that whine. I am outta here before the yelling starts." he said as he reached back and slapped hands with Jackson. He waved at the adults as he passed, then stopped in front of the chair the girls were sitting on and kissed each of them on the top of the head. "Night ladies. I'll see you at school tomorrow." he said, before slipping out the door and heading to his car.

After Lilly heard the door close, she began pleading her case. "Really mom! We have no tests tomorrow. It's not even like a real day. We sit there and goof around, turn in our books and clean out our lockers. It's hardly higher education." she tried to explain. It was the complete truth.

Heather crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "Lilly, we've talked about this." she said in a low even tone.

Jackson climbed out of the chair and reached over to put a hand on his father's shoulder, who was now sitting up on the couch. "I'm going to go call Jordan. You have fun with this." he whispered, then took off towards the stairs.

Lilly looked at her mother in disbelief. She couldn't understand why her mother was being so obstinate about this. "One night before three straight months. Does it really matter?" she bellowed.

The amusing thing about this argument was the fact that Miley still hadn't moved from her earlier position and was still cuddled into Lilly's neck. The singer knew better by now then to get in the middle of an arguement between the two blondes.

Heather's eyes narrowed at her daughter. "Exactly. You two already get away with more than you should." She pointed towards the door. "Let's go."

Robbie had been thinking about it and decided that this was not something worth getting the entire family upset about. He stood up from the couch and took a step forward to stand behind Heather. He placed his hands on Heather's hips as he spoke firmly in her ear. "No."

Heather turned around and regarded Robbie with a raised eyebrow. "Robbie?" she questioned, surprised by his interference.

Typically, he let her make any decisions regarding Miley and Lilly, while it was his job to keep Hannah and Lola under control. Tonight, he just felt the need to step in after seeing how agitated Lilly was getting with her mother. "Stay." he simply said as he ran a hand over the hair on the right side of her head.

Heather was melting at the intimate touch of the man she loved. "But…" she softly tried to argue.

Robbie shook his head. "Just…stay." he said, holding her neck and rubbing a thumb over her cheek.

Heather was quickly losing ground. Robbie was picking apart her defenses. "But we agreed..."

"And now I'm changing my mind." he said, leaning down to give her a soft kiss on the lips.

After he pulled back, Heather sighed softly and rested her forehead against his. "I'm supposed to be able to wrap you around my finger, not the other way around." she joked lovingly.

Robbie winked at her. "You always do." he admitted, then held her hips and guided her towards the stairs. He looked back over his shoulder and called out to the girls "Girls, bed before eleven." he said with a wink.

"Yes sir." Lilly said as Miley responded, "Yes daddy."

After a second, the girls heard Heather call down from the top of the steps. "Goodnight girls."

Miley turned to regard her girlfriend with a seductive grin. "I just love it when he does that." she said as she manuvered her body to straddle her girlfriend and leaned down to capture her mouth in a fiery kiss.

***************

After they entered their bedroom and closed the door, Heather glared at the man who held her heart. "Robbie, why did you do that?" she demanded.

Robbie walked over and put his hands on her upper arms and rubbed them soothingly. "Now hon, I know how you feel about making them appreciate boundaries, especially with what they are truly capable of doing. But keeping that in mind, there is nothing either of us could say or do if they truly wanted to do something, right?" he said, hoping that Heather would follow his logic.

Heather crossed her arms defiantly, not willing to admit defeat. "Oh I could put up a fight." she snapped.

Robbie chuckled at her attitude. She certainly was a little spitfire. "Alright, short of setting one of our girls on fire, what could you really do?" the asked with a little smirk.

Heather dropped her arms to her sides as she finally admitted what Robbie already knew to be true. "Nothing." she sighed softly.

Robbie nodded his head. "Exactly. And _I_ can do even less." he explained as he took her hand and led her over to sit on the bed. "That's one of the reasons that I give into them a lot more than you do."

Heather was slightly shocked at Robbie's statement. He had never given any indication whatsoever of being afraid of any of them. The blonde didn't think she could go through a repeat of her ex-husband. "Are you afraid of our girls?" she asked warily.

Robbie shook his head adamantly. "Gosh no." he sighed, then turned his head to look at a picture of Miley on his dresser. It was a picture of Robbie Ray feeding her for the first time. He closed his eyes and admitted to Heather his deepest fear. "I'm afraid of my baby girl growing up."

"Oh Robbie." Heather sighed softly as she watched the strong man in front of her crumble at the thought of losing his only daughter. The blonde was the only one who knew how Robbie had cried the night Jackson had moved into the dorms. The country singer's children were his whole world. And he didn't want to give Miley any reason to leave before it was truly time.

Heather wasn't sure what possessed her, but she couldn't stop the question from coming out of her mouth. "Would you want another child?" she asked tentatively, slightly shocked at her own boldness.

Robbie looked up at Heather's blue eyes. Was she even remotely serious? He had to know for sure. "With you?" he asked hesitantly, not wanting to get his hopes up in case he was misreading the blonde's intentions.

Heather bit her lip. Did she really want to make this offer? She was 39 years old. Did she really want to raise another child? She loved Robbie Ray and knew that no other man would ever understand her life the way he did. She couldn't find the voice to answer, but she nodded her head.

Robbie's grin went from ear to ear. He picked Heather up and flung her around in a circle in his arms. "Yes ma'am I would love to have a child with you." he said as he lowered her back to the floor.

Heather grinned and then pushed him backwards onto the bed. "Then let's get to work cowboy." she said as she slowly climbed on top of him.

***************

Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room a similar scene was taking place.

Miley and Lilly were still in the midst of a heated make out session when Miley finally broke away for some desperately needed air.

Lilly stared at her girlfriend with darkened eyes and growled. "I think we need to take this upstairs." she insisted.

"Then I think you need to carry me." Miley said with a pout, crossing her arms over her chest.

Of course Lilly was more than capable of carrying her girlfriend anywhere, but the surfer was feeling playful tonight. "No, I think you need to carry me." she responded and crossed her arms in front of her own chest.

The girls stared each other down, waiting to see who would crack first. Every once in a while they would play this game. Unfortunately for Miley, Lilly rarely gave in once she decided she wasn't going to. Miley tried her infamous puppy dog pout, but Lilly didn't even flinch. Miley knew she had no chance, and might as well give in now.

Even though Miley could have used her telekenesis to help her literally carry the blonde upstairs, the singer knew of another way to get them up the stairs.

"Fine, then you better make sure we don't smack our heads off something." she said as she leaned forward and wrapped her body around her girlfriend and locked their mouths together in another passion-filled kiss.

Slowly, the girls' bodies began rising off the chair and floated towards the stairwell. Rather than floating up the stairs, the girls floated straight up towards the ceiling, then Lilly used her power to phase them through the floor of Miley's bedroom.

Miley carefully set them down in front of the bed. As Lilly's feet touched the floor, she accepted Miley's full weigh as she felt the singer release them from her mind's grasp. Lilly pulled back and stared into her lover's eyes. "Do you have any idea how turned on I get when we do stuff like that?" she panted.

Miley couldn't help the glint in her eye or the smirk on her face. Of course she knew. That was exactly why she had chosen bring them upstairs the way she did. The singer thrust her hips into Lilly's. "Oh, I think I might." she said with a wink.

Lilly's mind snapped at the wink. Miley was in the mood to play tonight, the surfer could tell. Fine, the blonde would give her exactly what she was asking for. "No, I don't think you do." she said as she pulled the singer's arms from around her neck and tossed the brunette on the bed with minimal effort.

Once the bed had settled, Lilly slowly climbed on top of the brunette. She had a knee on each side of the singer's waist, but was holding herself up, so as not to touch Miley in any way. She slid her hands up her torso, over her shoulders and down her arms. When she reached her wrists, she took a firm hold and slowly lifted them above the singer's head.

Lilly grinned at the trapped brunette. "Now what?" she purred seductively.

Miley tried to move her arms, but they were locked in place by Lilly's incredible strength. The singer tried to use her power to release the pressure, but Lilly felt the effort and only strengthed her grip in response. The surfer wanted to be in control tonight and was letting Miley know it. "Lilly?" she asked, prodded the blonde to explain what she was going to do, since things were out of Miley's hands...figuratively speaking.

Lilly grinned evilly. "I think all you get tonight is my mind." she smirked.

Miley groaned in frustration. They had done this in the past. It was incredibly satisfying when it was over, but the ride was torture for Miley. Lilly would lock her body in place, not touch her in any sexual way, but think about all the things she would like to do, while Miley read her mind.

Lilly got off knowing that she could make Miley climax without even touching her.

Miley got off because her girlfriend had an incredible imagination.

_Do you know how much I love you, Miley? _Lilly thought.

Miley squeaked as Lilly thought about_ gently nipping at her earlobe_.

_Unh uh. Way more than that, _Lilly thought before thinking about_ tracing the outline of Miley's ear with the tip of her tongue._

Miley's only response was a moaning sigh as she felt a tingling warmth rise up inside her from her belly into her chest and neck, then through her head and into her scalp.

Lilly smiled at Miley's reaction. Lilly envisioned _running her index finger slowly and sensually over the sliver of flesh revealed between her waistband and the hem of the singer's shirt._ She thought, _Can I have you, Miley? Can I show you how much I love you_?

Miley's breath was coming deep and fast now, making her slightly lightheaded. She gasped out, "Yes!" After a couple more breaths she added, "Please!"

Lilly now thought about_ devouring Miley's neck with her lips, teeth and tongue, while her hands slid under the material of her shirt and began stroking the smooth, warm flesh of her tight toned abs. _

Miley's every other breath was coming out as a moan of pleasure as Lilly teased her mentally. Their eyes were still locked on one another.

Lilly next thought about_ playing with the singer's breasts through the material of her bra…cupping their weight, then sliding up and over them, dipping into the exposed cleavage with her finger tips, then circling the areola again over her bra._

It only took a couple of minutes till Miley was begging for more. "Oh Lilly. Please…please." she moaned.

Lilly answered her mentally with, _Please what, Baby? Tell me what you want_.

Monosyllabic moans were all the brunette was capable of at this point. In between deep breaths she whined, "Please...touch me?"

_You want to feel my hands on you skin? S_he thought. Then she envisioned _her fingers softly tweaking Miley's nipples through the silky material of her bra._

Miley whimpered and nodded again, lost in desire and sensation. Lilly had noticed that Miley's hips were rising off the bed and almost making contact with Lilly's lower body. Lilly lifted her feet and set them on top of Miley's legs to hold her lower body against the bed. Lilly wasn't done playing with the singer just yet.

Lilly thought about_ removing Miley's bra and toying with Miley's lovely chest for a minute, rubbing her palms in wide circles over Miley's erect nipples, rolling them around against the crinkled areolas._

After a few minutes, Miley was feeling electric jolts of pleasure shooting from her nipples directly to the junction of her thighs. She could feel the heavy, swollen lips, completely coated in her juices, soaking her shorts.

Lilly knew that Miley was nearly there. And the surfer was so incredibly wet after watching her lover for the past several minutes that she decided to end the torture a little early.

_You can have my mouth on one body part. Your choice. _Lilly thought.

Miley's eyes widened in surprise that Lilly was letting her off easy tonight. "Chest. Please." she moaned desperately.

Lilly switched her grip on the singer's wrists so that they could both be held in only one hand. She reached down and slowly pulled up the t-shirt to reveal the satin covered breast she had been thinking about. Lilly pulled the fabric aside until she could get the swollen nipple into her mouth. After a few seconds of sucking, Miley's body shook violently with her release.

Once the brunette had stopped shuttering, Lilly released her hands and finally lowered her body to make contact with her lover's.

As soon as the singer was released, Miley pulled the blonde's lips to hers in a desperate kiss and thrust her thigh up hard against Lilly's center. That was all it took to send Lilly spiraling into another world.

As Lilly's orgasm finally waned, she rolled off her lover and onto her back. She stared at the ceiling until Miley brought her out of her daze.

"Round two?" she asked with a seductive grin.

Lilly grinned but caught sight of the clock. It read 12:45 A.M. She knew that her mother had given in tonight, but if they gave their parents any flak about getting up in the morning, they would never hear the end of it. The surfer looked back at the brown eyes that had captured her soul and shook her head negatively. "How about we save that for the shower in the morning?" she offered as a compromise.

Miley smiled and rolled on top of Lilly to rest her head on her chest and sling an arm across her midsection. "Deal." she mumbled into Lilly's tank top.

Lilly leaned down and kissed the top of Miley's head. _I love you Miley._

Miley grinned happily. "I love you too Lils." she whispered.

* * *

**Well, I hope you enjoyed my pitful efforts on a love scene...anyway...I hope we set the stage for everything that will be coming up. If there is anything you are unclear about, please feel free to ask. Next chapter we are going to see The Shop in action. Oh, and I'm going to introduce you to Jordan too...catch you again soon. Review if you choose. - Jess**


	3. Ch 2 Everybody's Fool

**I can honestly say that I have never in my life written smut just to write it. It's like watching porn...I would prefer a romantic movie with a sexy love scene then watching a porn. Maybe I'm wired wrong...who knows? I can honestly say that this is about all you will see in the way of love scenes...maybe one more later on...but I doubt it...too much else going on...**

**Speaking of going on...already added my first extra chapter because it just got tooo big for my tastes. There are some clues in this chapter about where the story is going to go...some are obvious...others...not so much.**

**Let's roll gang...**

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Everybody's Fool**

**Malibu, California; May 29, 2009**

It was an hour before the last day of classes were scheduled to begin at Seaview High School. Mr. Corelli was working in his classroom, cleaning out some old papers from his desk.

Corelli heard the door open and turned to see who was at school so early on the last day. He was surprised to see two rather large gentlemen dressed in black suits entering his classroom. The shorter of the two men had a military style buzz cut and walked with a cane. The larger man was a bald African American. The men walked up and stood in front of Corelli's desk.

"Mr. Francis Corelli?" the shorter man asked as he leaned his cane against the desk.

Corelli nodded. "Yes?"

The larger man pulled out a flip wallet with an I.D. in it. He handed it to the teacher. "We're with the board of education. We would like to discuss a highly sensitive issue with you if possible?" he explained in a firm, flat voice.

Corelli looked over the credentials quickly and handed the wallet back to the larger man. "O-of course." he stuttered, not having any idea what this could be about.

The smaller man reached into his suit jacket and produced an 5x7 photograph. He held it up in front of Corelli. "Do you recognize these girls?" he asked.

Corelli looked at the photo and immediately recognized Miley and Lilly. They were standing close together and Lilly seemed to be getting ready to whisper something in Miley's ear. The teacher noted that the outfits the girls were wearing in the photograph were the same ones they had worn to school yesterday. The picture had been taken out in front of the school. "Certainly. Miley Stewart and Lilly Truscott. I've taught them both for two years." he replied as he looked back up at the men in front of him.

The smaller man pulled his arm back from Corelli and returned the photograph to his jacket pocket. "We have reason to believe that these girls are involved in a drug ring." he stated matter-of-factly.

Corelli's eyes went wide with shock. Impossible. Those two girls were absolute angels. There was no way that they would be involved in anything so terrible. "What?? Miley and Lilly? Never!" he told the men.

The smaller man turned to the larger one and gave him a hard look. He reached into his jacket once more and pulled out a pen and a small notepad. He flipped open the notepad and clicked his pen, preparing to write. "Can you tell us who they spend the most time with here at school? They could possibly be involved as well." he asked and waited for Corelli to answer his question.

Corelli looked back and forth between the two men in front of him and wondered if someone was possibly playing an end of year prank on him. "You know guys, if this is a joke…" he said.

The larger man slammed his hand down on the desk and learned forward over Corelli's desk. "Do we look like we're joking?" he growled menacingly.

Corelli was startled by the larger man's actions. Even if it was a joke, it would be best to just play along. Corelli cleared his throat and answered the smaller man's question. "Well, Oliver Oken and Joannie Palumbo. And I would have to say the only other person they are relatively close to would be Sarah Sweet."

The smaller man scribbled the names Corelli said onto his notepad. When he was done, he continued his questioning. "Any known enemies?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at the teacher.

"Amber Addison and Ashley Dewitt. Oh how those two hate Miley and Lilly." he said. Corelli rolled his eyes thinking about all the catfights he had been forced to break up over the last two years.

The smaller man paused in his writing and regarded Corelli with a raised eyebrow. "Particular reason?" he inquired.

Corelli shrugged his shoulders. "Prettier, better grades, more popular. Take your pick. We are talking about high school girls here." he said dryly.

Once again a hand came slamming down onto the desk. "Lose the attitude fat man." the larger man growled at the teacher.

"S-sorry." Corelli stuttered in fear.

The smaller man put a hand on the larger man's arm. The larger man sighed and stood back up.

"Do they have any other ties at this school that we should be aware of?" the smaller man asked.

Corelli tried to think if the girls were involved with any clubs, but he couldn't think of any. Then he remembered. "Um, Lilly's on the soccer team, but I don't think she's particularly close with any of those girls." he added. He hardly ever saw Lilly hanging out with her soccer teammates. She was friendly with them, but Miley was the center of her universe. Anyone who knew them knew that much.

The smaller man clicked his pen and flipped his tablet closed. He returned the items to his jacket pocket and reached forward to grab his cane. "Well, we thank you for your time and we ask that you keep this meeting in the strictest confidence." he said.

The larger man crossed his hands over his chest and stared down at the teacher. "If word gets out about this, it could cost you your teaching certificate." he leaned forward and lifted one eyebrow. "Are. We. Clear?" he said, slowly and deliberately.

At this point, Corelli just wanted these two men to leave his classroom. They were freaking him out. "Of course." he said, nodding vigorously.

The smaller man led the larger man to the door and they disappeared into the hallway.

Corelli sat back in his seat and thought about what the men had said. He shook his head. "No fucking way." he whispered to the empty classroom.

Mr. Adams looked at Mr. Brown as they headed to the car. "Think any of those kids might come in handy?" he asked once they reached the parking lot.

Mr. Brown shrugged. "It's possible. We should see if the old man knows any of them."

Mr. Adams looked at his partner confused. "Why would it matter?" he asked.

Mr. Brown reached into his pocket and pulled out the car keys to their black Impala. "If he knows them, then they've been around for a while and might be more useful as leverage." he explained, popping the trunk.

The trunk opened to reveal John Truscott with his ankles taped together, his hands cuffed behind his back, and his mouth gagged.

Mr. Adams used his cane to poke John in the abdomen. "Wake up John."

John opened his eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the bright sunlight. He had no way of knowing how long he had been in the trunk, but he knew it was dark when they put him in it.

"Nod your head if you recognize any of these names." Mr. Adams said as he pulled the notepad out and began reading off the names.

"Sarah Sweet?"

No response.

"Joannie Palumbo?"

No response.

"Oliver Oken?"

John stiffened slightly at the boy's name, but did not shake his head.

Mr. Brown noticed John's slight reaction to Oken's name. He pulled a handgun out of his belt and forced it against John's temple. "Ask him the last one again." he told his partner.

"Oliver Oken?"

Both men watched as this time, John vigorously nodded his head.

Mr. Brown turned to his partner and grinned evilly. "Thought so." he said, returning the gun to his belt and then slamming the trunk closed. The men walked around to get into the car. Mr. Brown unlocked the doors and got in the driver's side. Mr. Adams tossed his cane into the back seat before sitting down in the passenger seat.

Mr. Brown put on his seatbelt and looked over at his partner. "Are we still going to send him to meet her?" he inquired.

Mr. Adams considered the question for the moment. They couldn't sit on John indefinitely and the sooner they could dispose of him, the better. "Yeah, we'll wire him to overhear the conversation and tell him we're watching him with a sniper rifle. I think he'll cooperate." he said, offering his idea of how to motivate John to cooperate. "If he doesn't do as we say, we'll kill him." he added rather indifferently.

Mr. Brown nodded. It was a solid plan. "What if the girl catches on?" he inquired.

Mr. Adams scoffed at the idea. How was some little teenage girl going to figure out that a high tech organization kidnapped her father and was using him to gather intelligence on her special abilities? "She'd have to be a fucking mind reader to figure it out." he quipped.

Mr. Brown chuckled briefly. "Well, we don't actually know what powers she has." he pointed out.

Mr. Adams raised his eyebrow in response. "We'll just have to find out."

Mr. Brown looked over his shoulder towards the trunk. "Think he knows anything?"

Mr. Adams rubbed his chin as he considered the question. "He might know something. But it has been quite a while since he's seen her. It's very possible that she might be capable of far more than even he knows about."

Mr. Brown nodded his head at his partner's assessment. "True." he said as he put the key in the ignition. "So, we see if he can get her to have a heart to heart?" he inquired.

Mr. Adams nodded. "She's a girl. She'll probably fall all over daddy coming home." he said, laughing at his own joke.

Mr. Brown rubbed his hands over the steering wheel. "Think we might have a shot at grabbing the girlfriend?"

Mr. Adams held up his left hand. "I don't want to go there yet. That's why we have the ex-boyfriend on standby." he reminded his partner. "We don't want to risk doing anything to make the girl snap. That's why the estranged father is the safest bet."

Mr. Brown nodded and turned on the engine. "Let's get a hotel room so we can get John ready. We'll come back here at the end of the school day and follow them." he said as he put the car into drive.

Mr. Adams nodded. "Sounds like a plan." he said as he stared out of the window.

***************

Meanwhile at the Stewart household, the girls had managed to wake up a little early, so they got to spend extra time enjoying their shower together.

Miley was now finishing her makeup in the bathroom, while Lilly finished getting dressed in the bedroom. The blonde stepped back into the bathroom and stood behind the singer, who was standing in front of the sink. Lilly wrapped her arms around Miley's waist and gently pulled the brunette back against her body.

Miley looked up from her makeup bag to catch her girlfriend's eyes in the mirror. "Hey you." she said, tipping her head back and resting it against the surfer's shoulder.

Lilly slipped a hand under Miley's shirt to rub it against the singer's toned stomach. "Did you enjoy yourself this morning?" she asked softly, placing a light kiss on the brunette's neck.

Miley set her blush down and reached back to run her hands up and down Lilly's outer thighs. "I always do when I'm with you." she replied lovingly.

Lilly was enjoying their closeness, but knew that if she didn't walk away, things would heat up quickly. And they couldn't be late for their last day of school. The blonde pulled her hands back and grabbed Miley's roaming hands. "I'm gonna go get some breakfast. I'm starved." she said, stepping back and releasing the brunette.

Miley caught her eye in the mirror once again. "Did my crazy lil' flower work up an appetite this mornin?" she asked with a sly grin.

Lilly shrugged at her girlfriend's comment. "What can I say? Satisfying a pop star can be _very_ demanding work." she said with a giggle then gently slapped her girlfriend's butt. "Finish getting ready. I'll see you downstairs." she said as she walked out of the bathroom.

Lilly headed downstairs and as the surfer turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs, she saw her mother in the kitchen, still in her robe, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Morning mom." she greeted cheerfully, as she walked over to get herself a bowl of cereal.

Heather smiled at her daughter. "Aren't you chipper this morning?" she commented as she poured milk into her coffee. "Sleep well?" she asked with a glint in her eye.

Lilly and Heather had a _very_ close relationship. They were so comfortable with one another, that teasing one another about sex had become an ongoing game between them. It would always start with an innocent question or a comment with a slight innuendo attached to it. It usually ended up with somebody being quite embarrassed.

Lilly eyed her mother playfully. She knew exactly what she was insinuating. Well, two can play at this game. Lilly went straight for the jugular. "You got some too, don't deny it." she said with a teasing smirk.

Heather blushed slightly and carried her coffee to the table and took a seat, careful to avoid her daughter's gaze. "Where's Miley?" she asked, trying to defer from their game for the time being.

Lilly finished preparing her breakfast and took her bowl over to the table to join her mother. "Finishing her makeup." the surfer answered as she began shoveling cereal into her mouth.

Heather lifted her coffee cup halfway to her mouth. "Did you smear her lipstick?" she asked innocently, then quickly put the cup to her lips to hide her grin.

Lilly glared at her mother but refused to comment as she continued eating her cereal.

Just then, Robbie Ray appeared from around the corner with a laundry basket in his hands. "G'morning Lilly." he greeted, setting the basket down next to the table. He then leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

Lilly smiled up at the country singer. "Hey Railroad. I hear you got lucky last night." she said, figuring that it would embarrass her mother more if she teased Robbie Ray instead of her.

Robbie looked over at Heather and saw her trying to avoid his gaze. The country singer narrowed his eyes. He decided what's good for the goose was good for the gander. He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee as he answered the young blonde. "You know it's funny you should mention that, cause I could have sworn that when I went into Miley's room to drop off her laundry...I heard some very distinctive moans coming from Miley's bathroom." he said with a knowing glint in his eye. "You wouldn't know anything about that, now would ya?" he asked as he walked back to the table with his coffee.

Lilly's jaw dropped and she threw her hands up in front of her face. "Okay, truce." she said as both adults started chuckling. "You guys win. I surrender." she said and returned to finishing her breakfast.

Miley chose that moment to come down the stairs and make her way into the kitchen. "Morning y'all." She caught Lilly's eyes and knew that something was up. Her girlfriend's face was redder than usual and she looked quite uncomfortable. She tipped her head to the right side, a signal that the girls had come up with to determine when Lilly specifically wanted Miley to read her mind.

Lilly nodded her head once_. Don't mention sex, in any way shape or form. _The blonde warned mentally.

Miley nodded her head in acknowledgment of Lilly's warning and went to grab a bagel for breakfast. _"_So, anything going on tonight?" she asked over her shoulder.

Robbie Ray shook his head from his seat next to Heather. "I've got the meeting this afternoon to go over all the finals details of the tour. I probably won't be home till late." he explained. "Heather's cooking us dinner tonight at her place."

"Text us and let us know what time dinner is, okay?" Lilly said and she got up to take her cereal bowl into the kitchen.

Miley brought her plate with her breakfast over to the table and sat in the seat next to Lilly's. "Cool. Well, we'll probably end up somewhere to celebrate the end of school. We'll call and let you know where we'll be." she said, taking a bite out of her bagel.

Lilly nodded her head in agreement as she returned to sit back down next to Miley at the table. "It'll probably be the beach." she commented.

Miley turned her head and gave her girlfriend a sly look. "You in a bikini? Sounds like a celebration to me." she said with a wink.

Lilly slapped a hand over her face and then stared hard at her girlfriend. _What did I just tell you? _She mentally chastised her girlfriend.

Robbie Ray couldn't pass up the golden opportunity his daughter had just presented him with. "What? The shower wasn't enough for you?" he asked, tipping his head to the side.

Miley stiffened at her father's words. Busted.

Lilly quickly stood up from the table and grabbed her girlfriend's arm. "Okay, I think we need to leave for school now." she said, dragging Miley towards the front door, their parents laughing all the while.

Once they were safely on the porch and out of embarrassment central, Miley sheepishly looked at her girlfriend. "Sorry?" she offered.

Lilly shook her head. "You are so damn lucky I love you." she said, leaning in to give the brunette a gentle kiss.

After she pulled away, Miley licked her lips and smiled. "Don't I know it." she said as she reached down and interlaced their fingers as they headed off to school.

The girls entered the school to find their best friend and his girlfriend standing next to their lockers. "Hey Oliver. Joannie." Lilly called out, as her and Miley opened their lockers to put away their belongings.

Oliver sighed dramatically and put his right palm on his heart. "Ah, surrounded by hot women. I love my life." he said, sliding down slightly against the lockers, feigning weak knees.

Lilly reached over and playfully swatted his arm. "Get over yourself doughnut."

Miley pulled out her first period books and shut her locker. "So, where's the party tonight?" she asked, leaning against her locker.

Joannie raised her hand. "My folks left this morning for a week-end in San Diego." she said as she snuggled under Oliver's right arm.

"Party at Palumbo's." Lilly declared with a raised fist as she closed her locker.

Joannie waggled her finger at the blonde. "Keep it down Truscott. I refuse to have half of these losers at my house." she said, giving disgusted looks towards several other students that were milling about the hallway.

Miley put on a fake pout. "You don't want us to come?" she asked, knowing very well that they were definately on the guest list.

Oliver blew his bangs out of his face. "Are you crazy? You two are the reason that everyone else _wants_ to be there. Think about it, the possibility that there might be alcohol and you two could get drunk and make a public spectacle of yourselves, losing clothing…it'd be like a live porno." he said. At the end of his little rant, his girlfriend responded by playfully slapping him in the stomach with the back of her hand. "Oof."

Miley stepped around to Lilly's side and threw an arm over her shoulder. The singer turned her head to catch her girlfriend's eye. "And you think I am going to invite _him_ to _our_ wedding?" she deadpanned, thumbing a finger at the swimmer.

Lilly eyes went wide at the brunette's comment. 'Wedding?_' _Lilly thought.

Miley's playfulness vanished in a heartbeat. She was suddenly overcome with fear. They hadn't really talked about their future and the singer was terrified that she had just made an incorrect assumption. "Lilly, I uh, I mean…" she said, desperately trying to backpeddel.

Lilly shook her head at Miley's insecurity. Here was freaking Hannah Montana and she was worried about whether Lilly Truscott wanted to be with HER. When in reality, Lilly felt it was the exact opposite. The blonde held a finger up to cover her girlfriend's lips. "It's okay Miles." she said with a smile. "Just make sure when the time comes, you do a better job of proposing." she gently teased her worried girlfriend. "D'accord?"

Miley felt a wave of relief envelope her body. The singer grabbed the blonde's hand and gently kissed her knuckles. "Je promets. Je t'aime."

Lilly's heart soared at the words of love from her girlfriend's mouth. "Je t'aime aussi." she vowed, using her free hand to pull Miley's head down for a gentle kiss.

Oliver narrowed his eyes at the girls. "I hate it when you two do that. You know I take Spanish!" he growled.

The girls broke their kiss and simultaneously burst out laughing.

Joannie rolled her eyes at the three long time friends. "Come on before we're late for homeroom." she said as she pulled her boyfriend away from the lockers.

Miley lowered their still interlocked hands and the two girls followed behind the other couple to their homeroom.

They had been sitting in homeroom for about five minutes when Lilly tapped Miley on the back. As Miley leaned back, the surfer whispered in her ear. "Have you noticed anything weird going on in homeroom today?"

Miley considered the blonde's question for a moment and looked around the room. "Like someone staring at us that never has before?" she asked. Lilly nodded her head. "Yeah." the singer agreed.

Lilly looked up to see if Corelli was still staring at them. He was. "Think anything's up?" she asked her girlfriend.

Miley twisted in her seat to look at Lilly directly. "Want me to check it out?" she offered.

Lilly looked back at one of her favorite teachers. Miley was so careful now that she could completely control her mind reading ability not to invade people's privacy for no reason. "Let's try it the old fashion way first." the surfer suggested.

Miley nodded her head and turned back around as they waited for the first bell. When it rang, the two girls waited till the classroom had almost completely cleared out before approaching Corelli's desk.

"Mr. Corelli, I know this is going to sound strange..." she began, turning to briefly look at her girlfriend, then back at the teacher. "but we just felt like you were staring at us this morning." Lilly explained. "Did we do something wrong?" she asked innocently.

"If we did, please tell us what it was so that we can make sure we never do it again in front of another teacher." Miley was quick to add.

Corelli desperately wanted to tell the girls about what the men had said to him this morning, but was quickly reminded of their warning. His job was too important to him. And surely it wasn't the truth anyway. Regardless, Corelli unfortunately couldn't afford to take the chance. He shook his head and tried to come up with a believable lie. "I just couldn't believe how much you girls have grown in the time I've taught you." he said with a smile.

Lilly thought that was the dumbest thing she had ever heard a teacher say to her. The blonde turned her head and locked eyes with the singer and tipped her head slightly towards their teacher. _All you. Go for it._

Miley focused on the teacher sitting in front of her_. There is no way either one of them could be stupid enough to be involved with drugs. They have everything going for them._ _And they certainly don't look like any drug dealers I've ever seen_. He thought. Miley's jaw just dropped.

Mr. Corelli continued talking. "Sorry for going all nostalgic on you ladies. I meant no disrespect to either of you." he said in apology.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lilly could see Miley's shocked face. She decided it was time for them to make their exit, "No problem Mr. C. We'll see you later." the surfer said with a smile and then turned and pushed her girlfriend towards the door of the classroom.

Corelli smiled at the departing girls. "Have a good day girls. Take care." As the were just about to walk out the door he shouted. "BE CAREFUL. DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID!"

After they were safely out the door and a few feet down the hallway, Lilly pulled Miley off to the side. "Well?" she asked, anxiously awaiting the explanation for Miley's facial expression.

Miley closed her eyes and shook her head. "You aren't going to believe this." she said, then added. "It's ridiculous."

Lilly crossed her arms. "More ridiculous than you doing a fashion show in a moose costume?" she gently teased.

Miley briefly glared at her girlfriend. "Sure, if you think that sort of thing is funny." she said flatly. "Someone told Corelli that we were involved in a drug ring."

Lilly couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up in her chest. She bent over as she laughed hard and loud. After a few seconds, she calmed herself enough to respond. "That has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard." she said, reaching up to wipe a tear from her eye.

Miley couldn't help but smile at her girlfriend's response. "It does explain his attitude and actions though. Guess he couldn't believe it either." she pointed out with a shrug of her shoulders. "Think we should be concerned?" she asked with a slight look of worry on her face.

Lilly's was surprised by her girlfriend's question. "Are you involved in something I don't know about?" she asked, stabbing a finger at the singer's chest.

Miley rolled her eyes. "Of course not."

Lilly shrugged her shoulders in response. "Then, what's to worry about?" she looked around the hall and noticed their rivals exiting the bathroom. "It's probably Amber and Ashley trying to start some shit. Or just a really bad end of term prank on Corelli." she said. "Just ignore it." she finished and reached down to take Miley's hand.

Miley heard what the blonde was saying, but in the pit of her stomach she was still uncomfortable. Something about this didn't seem like typical high school nonsense. "I hope you're right." she mumbled as she allowed the surfer to drag her towards their first period class.

* * *

**Our surfer is going to be in for a rude awakening I think...next chapter we head for the beach...and we get to meet Jackson's new girlfriend... - Jess**

**Oh...and in case you were wondering about the French... D'accord = Ok; Je promets = I promise; Je t'aime = I love you; aussi = also**


	4. Ch 3 Somebody's Watching Me

**This scene was originally going to be part of the last chapter...but it slowly took on a life of its own...and Jordan was just way too much fun to write. This is some warm fluff to get you all excited for the action coming up in the next chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Somebody's Watching Me **

**Malibu, California; May 29, 2009**

Jackson sat on a stool in front of his former place of employment with a smile on his face.

Rico walked over and glared at him from behind the counter. "Why are you so…happy?" the smaller boy demanded in an annoyed tone. Rico was an odd person. And even though Jackson was sort of his friend, the smaller boy didn't act like it at all.

Jackson never let his grin falter as he stared his former boss in the eyes. "Cause I don't work for you anymore." he replied sarcastically.

Rico sneered at the older boy then threw his hand towel down on the counter and headed to the back of the shack.

Jackson was proud that he could still aggravate the smaller boy. But the real reason he was so happy was because his girlfriend would be arriving any minute now.

Jackson felt his phone vibrate in the pocket of his shorts. He pulled it out and checked the message. 'Pulling in now' it read. He looked over to the parking lot and saw her car pulling in.

Jackson immediately hopped off his stool and hurriedly walked towards his girlfriend's car.

Jordan stepped out of her navy blue Dodge Avenger looking amazing. She was wearing a red tie-waist cover-up dress with a pair of open toed sandals. On her face was a pair of black square whisker Oakley's and her brown hair was held back by a thick black headband. She noticed Jackson walking towards her and quickly reached back into the car to grab her beach bag and closed the door.

As she turned to face Jackson, the boy wrapped his arms around her back and squeezed tightly. He finished the hug by picking her up and swinging her in a circle. "God, how I've missed you!" he whispered into her fruity smelling hair.

The young couple had not seen each other since finals week.

Jordan's family lived in Phoenix, Arizona. She was going to be taking summer classes at USC. Since the dorms weren't open during the summer months, she was forced to rent an apartment. Unfortunately for her, it was unfurnished. This meant that she had to go home in-between sessions to pack up furniture and get other necessities for her new apartment. Plus, her parents wanted to spend some time with her during the short break.

So this was actually the first time they had seen each other in almost three weeks.

Jackson set the slightly taller girl down and captured her mouth in a searing kiss. After several seconds of reacquainting their tongues, Jackson pulled back to look at his girlfriend of eight months. "God, you look beautiful." he told her honestly.

Jordan felt something hard pressing into her thigh and looked down to see the bulge in Jackson's board shorts. She looked up and laughed at the blush on Jackson's face. Even though they had a good emotional and intellectual relationship, it was obvious that the boy had been missing their physical relationship as well. Jordan giggled and decided to tease her boyfriend. "Oh give a girl a break will you? I just got here. And it _was_ just over two weeks." she sighed dramatically, then narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "Besides, didn't you go home to live-in porn?" she asked with a smirk.

When Jordan had met Jackson's sister and her girlfriend last Thanksgiving, she thought they were both absolutely gorgeous. Then…she had the pleasure of accidentally walking in on them making out on the living room couch. The sight was so hot, it would have taken several hoses to put out the fire. This led the hockey player to inform her boyfriend at the time, that he didn't need to waste any money buying porn, since he could see the real thing in his home for free.

Jackson blushed and wiggled uncomfortably thinking about his sister in THAT way. "Come on Jordie, that's my sister." he moaned. Jackson loved his sister dearly and was quite well aware that she was extremely beautiful, but he could never, ever be comfortable thinking of her in _that way_!

Jordan leaned forward and ran a hand up the boy's chest. "Yeah, and have you seen her and her girlfriend together? I'm straight and they get my engine revving." she told him in a low husky tone.

Jackson stepped away from Jordan and held his hands up in front of him in protest. Lilly saw just as much his sister as Miley was. "Okay, stopping this conversation here and now." he insisted.

Jordan laughed at her boyfriend's antics. "JR, don't be that way." she pouted then giggled. She bent down to grab her bag and then reached out to take Jackson's hand. "And I really missed you too." she informed him lovingly.

Jackson beamed as the couple then casually strolled towards the beach. "So? How long do you have until classes start?" he asked.

Jordan sighed as she looked out at the ocean she had been missing for nearly three weeks. "Ten days, then it's back to the grind." she responded sadly.

Jackson shrugged. "Well, that kinda works, since I'll be going to Vegas that week." he reminded her.

Jordan came to an abrupt halt and pulled her hand out of Jackson's. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, and narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "I just came back and you're already leaving me?" she huffed. "Such devotion." she added with a roll of her eyes.

Jackson smirked at his girlfriend's playful complaining. "Smart ass." he commented as he reached back to take her hand once more. He pointed off in the distance where Miley was sitting on a beach towel. "Come on. Let's go say hi to the porn stars."

Jordan couldn't stop the joyful laughter that erupted from her mouth at Jackson's comment. She so loved that boy.

***************

Further down the beach, Miley was laying on a huge beach towel in a black and gold bikini that showed off her every curve to perfection. She had on a large pair of black sunglasses and was staring intently at the young lady tearing up the ocean waves in front of her.

The singer was pulled from her daze as when she heard Oliver speak.

"So, how does it feel to finally be a senior?" he asked, while wiping suntan lotion on his arms and chest.

Miley shrugged and turned her head quickly to answer the swimmer's question. "Honestly, not that much different than my junior status of two hours ago." she told him, then immediately turned her head back to watch Lilly tearing through another wave.

Oliver knew exactly why Miley was more or less ignoring him. It didn't bother him in the least bit. But he briefly wondered if Lilly realized that Miley enjoyed watching her surf as much as the blonde loved watching Miley sing.

As he looked out at said surfing blonde, he caught sight of his best friend performing a flawless ariel maneuver causing him to let out a low whistle. "Wow, she's looks awesome out there today." he commented.

Miley nodded her head and reached up to slide down her sunglasses and turn slightly so she could catch Oliver's eyes. "Honey, she looks awesome everyday." she said, waggling her eyebrows. "Trust me. I'm an expert."

Oliver rolled his eyes and shook his head. They really were perfect for one another.

**************

Meanwhile, not far away from where Miley and Oliver were sitting, stood Mr. Adams casually leaning against the counter at Rico's. He had ordered food as a cover to observe the girls at a closer range. He noticed the young man sitting relatively close to Miley and wondered if that was Oliver Oken. It probably was, but he would like to get a positive ID.

As Rico set the man's order down in front of him, Adams pointed at Miley. "Do you know that hot looking girl sitting over there on that beach towel?" he asked.

Rico craned his neck to see who he man was pointing at. "Who Miley? Yeah, I know her." he answered, not offering any further information.

Adams rolled his eyes. Damn kids. "Is that her boyfriend?" he asked, trying to make it seem like he was interested in her in a romantic way.

Rico scoffed at the idea. "Oliver? Ha! No." He pointed out towards the ocean. "See the chick tearing up the waves over there?" he asked.

Adams knew exactly who he was pointing at, but turned his head to look at Lilly anyway in order to maintain his rouse. "Yeah." he replied indifferently.

Rico smirked thinking he was going to burst the guy's ego. "That's her _girlfriend_ Lilly." he said in a snarky tone, emphasizing the word girlfriend.

Adams turned his head back and looked at Rico. "No shit?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "Guess I'm not her type then." he said shrugging his shoulders. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill, and tossed it on the counter "Thanks. Keep the change." he said, grabbing his nachos and heading towards the parking lot.

Rico's eyes widened at the five dollar tip. "Hey, thanks. Come back anytime." he said happily.

**************

By now, Jackson and Jordan had made their way over to where Miley and Oliver were sitting. "Hey sexy!" Jordan called out playfully to the brunette.

Miley immediately recognized the voice and whipped her head around towards the voice. "Jordan!" she shouted, jumping up from where she was and rushing over to give the older girl a hug. "When'd you get back?" she asked as she released the girl.

Jordan smiled at the brunette's warm welcome. Miley was such a sweetheart. "Just this morning." she replied as she reached into her bag and pulled her towel out.

Miley threw her hands up to the sky in praise. "Thank you God!" she shouted heavenward, then put her hand next to her mouth to let Jordan in on a little secret. "He was becoming unbearable without you." she stage whispered.

Jackson glared at his sister as he helped his girlfriend lay out her towel. "Oh whatever Miles."

Jordan waved a finger in the air. "Now, now. No fighting children." she said in a motherly tone, then giggled. How she had missed them while she was gone. "Where's Lilly?" she asked, shocked to see the brunette without her blonde girlfriend.

Miley rolled her eyes at the question. "You're kidding me right?" she said, putting her hands on her hips and giving Jordan a disbelieving glare. "You've known her for how long now?" she asked.

As soon as the words came out of Miley's mouth, Jordan realized what a stupid question it had been. Gee, if you bring the surfing champion to the beach, where do you think she's going to be if she's not all over her super hot girlfriend? "You have a point. If she's not hanging all over you like a pair of drapes, then she must be surfing." the older brunette said, answering her own question.

Just then, Joannie walked up and added herself to the growing group of teenagers. "Hey guys." she greeted as she dropped to her knees behind her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hey Joannie." Miley said with a smile.

Oliver tipped his head to the side and gave his girlfriend a quick kiss on the lips. "What's up sweetheart?" he asked.

She shook her head and made a disgusted face. "There's some real weirdoes on the beach today." she commented.

"What do you mean?" Miley asked, curious to know what or who Joannie was referring to.

Joannie pointed towards the old man she had just walked past coming over from the parking lot. "Guess you didn't notice that guy over there almost drooling over T-Cott?" she asked, looking around the group. "He's old and freaky and its just wrong." she said, sticking out her tongue and making a grossed out face.

Jackson gestured towards Lilly. "Hello? Surfing champion? People watch her every time she surfs." He pointed out, then felt the need to add... "Granted, it's usually to drool over her body…" he teasingly pointed out. He was quite surprised by the punch his shoulder received. "Hey." he bellowed, rubbing his sore shoulder.

Jordan placed her hand on her chest. "_**I**_ only hit you cause your sister is way over there." she explained, pointing to where Miley was sitting two towels over.

Miley gave Jordan a thumbs up. "Thank you Jordan."

Jordan smiled and nodded her head. "Welcome Miles." she said, then looked out at Lilly, who was busy making every surfer on the beach jealous. "As much as I hate to admit it, my man is quite correct though, when she's on the waves, there really is no one else worth watching," she said, wrapping her arms around Jackson and snuggling into his shoulder. She lightly kissed his arm where she had punched him seconds ago.

Joannie groaned in frustration at all the Lilly worship she was currently enduring. "Alright, she's a goddess on a surf board. I get it." she said with a huff.

Miley turned her head to regard Oliver's girlfriend. "I thought you two gave up your competitive ways?" she asked with narrowed eyes. Ever since Oliver had started dating Joannie, Lilly had vowed to make total peace with her long time rival.

Joannie rolled her eyes and grumbled softly. "Yeah right. More like I was forced to surrender." she admitted.

Jordan was slightly confused about this particular group dynamic that she had never encountered before today. "Miley and Oliver make you guys stop?" she asked, trying to piece together the story for herself.

Joannie threw one arm up in the air. "Hell no. I just got sick and tired of losing to her _every single time_." she gruffly admitted. Then she leaned down and choke hugged Oliver. "Thus the reason I now date her best friend." she explained, kissing the side of his head. Then she rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders as she added, "If you can't beat em..."

"Join 'em" everyone else replied simultaneously, then started laughing.

Jordan nodded her head in agreement with Joannie's logic. "Makes sense to me." she said

Oliver tossed Joannie's arms off his neck then rolled over on his knees to face her. "Wait a minute, you mean to tell me you only went out with me to get one over on Lilly?!?" he asked in disbelief.

Joannie chuckled softly as she reached forward and placed her hands on Oliver's cheeks. "It's a joke sweetheart." she vowed, then leaned in to give him a brief kiss. "I went out with you cause after seeing you in a Speedo, I couldn't get the image out of my head." she said with a sly grin and a wink.

Jackson threw his hands up in front of this face. "Ov-er shar-ing!" he shouted slowly, then everyone broke out in another round of laughter.

After the group had calmed down a bit, Jackson spoke up once more. "So what time is the big party tonight?" he asked Joannie.

Joannie had told Miley that she could invite her brother to this evening's festivities if she wanted. It never hurt to have a few college kids at a high school party. It totally cranked up the cool factor. "I figure seven works." she replied.

Miley turned away from her favorite performer, who had hopped off her board and was wading through the surf to return to the beach. "Do you need any help setting anything up for tonight?" she asked the softball player.

Joannie shook her head. "Nah, me and Big O got it covered." she said, tipping her head at her boyfriend, then checked the time on her cell phone. "Speaking of which, you ready to make the grocery run for tonight?" she asked, turning her head to her boyfriend.

Oliver nodded obediently. "Yes my little love monkey." he replied sweetly.

Joannie narrowed his eyes at the swimmer. "We're in public." she ground out through clenched teeth. In private, he could refer to her as whatever he wanted, but she hated when he said certain things in public. Like pet names.

Oliver's eyes widened as he realized what he had said and blushed lightly. This time he responded, "Yes dear." causing the other girls to giggle at the shaggy haired boy's discomfort.

Lilly had finally made her way up on the beach to join her friends. The surfer planted her board in the sand behind Miley, then grabbed her towel and quickly wiped off her face. Tossing the towel next to her board, the blonde finally took a seat next to Miley. The surfer leaned over and gave her girlfriend a short kiss in greeting. "Hey there." she said with a warm smile.

Miley reached over and placed her hand on Lilly's midsection, gently rubbing the six pack she so adored. "You looked awesome out there hon." she whispered softly.

Lilly closed her eyes at the feeling of Miley's fingertips gently caressing her skin. Lilly leaned back on her hands to give the singer complete access to her stomach. "All for you baby." she sighed contentedly.

'My God. I don't think they have any idea of how hot they are togther. And worse, I don't even think they're trying to be.' Jordan thought to herself as she watched the girls. Then she loudly cleared her throat to interupt them. "This _**is**_ a public beach you know. There are children around!" she teased the overly affectionate younger couple.

Lilly chuckled at hearing her banter buddy's voice. "Jordan. You're back." she replied flatly. "Damn."

Shortly after meeting one another, Jordan and Lilly quickly established that they loved to tease each other for the fun of it. The results of their playful fights were usually funny as hell.

Jordan narrowed her eyes at the surfer. "You missed me and you know it." she stated then sighed dramatically. "I understand, I'm irresistible. It's a curse." she added in a lofty tone.

Lilly winked at her girlfriend then sat forward so she could look past Miley to see Jordan's face as she responded to her comment. "What? Are you like Hannah Montana now or something?" she inquired.

Jordan crossed her arms. "Wouldn't you just shit if I was?" she shot back, clearly oblivious to the irony of her statement.

Jackson's eyes went wide waiting to hear Lilly's comeback. Meanwhile, Miley kept biting her lower lip, desperately trying to keep a straight face and not laugh.

Lilly saw an opportunity to send a zinger at an unsuspecting target and took aim. "Shit would be an understatement. Hell, I'd probably pass out." she said matter-of-factly.

Oliver turned his head and glared at his best friend. "Hey!" he shouted at her.

When Oliver turned away from Lilly, he noticed that Jordan and Joannie were both looking at him strangely. Realizing that neither of them were in on the whole Hannah Montana secret, Oliver quickly tried to explain his outburst. "We were just about to leave, but I didn't want to leave till I got to say 'hey' to Lilly." he said then laughed hesitantly.

Joannie rolled her eyes and stood up from Oliver's towel. "And you wonder why your mother worries about you so much." she said, shaking her head. "Come on." she said, reaching down to pull the shaggy haired boy upright. "Catch you guys later." she said to the group, then started walking towards the parking lot.

Oliver leaned down to grab his belongings. "See you tonight." he said, looking at Jordan and Jackson. As he grabbed the last of his stuff, he turned towards Miley and Lilly. "Ladies." he said, then mouthed at the surfer 'You suck.' Then he scampered off to join his girlfriend.

Miley and Lilly both fell back on the towel laughing into one another's shoulders.

After a moment of enjoying Oliver's embarrassment, Lilly propped herself up on an elbow and looked over at the older couple. "Seriously now, how are the famous Michaels doing today?" she asked.

Jordan smiled as she leaned back against Jackson's chest. "Well, we're together, so I would have to say that we're having a great day." she replied happily.

"You joining us for dinner tonight?" Miley asked, still laying on her back.

Jordan shook her head. She knew Jackson wanted it to be just them tonight. "No. I think my man made us reservations somewhere for tonight."

"You have to come over one day before we leave on vacation." Lilly said seriously.

Jordan smiled at the surfer. Despite how much she enjoyed teasing the younger girl, she thought Lilly was an absolutely doll. "Don't worry. I will." she promised.

Miley noticed that Jackson was being unusually quiet. He had this glazed look on his face and was basically ogling Jordan's chest. Gee, can't imagine what was on his mind, Miley thought. The singer turned her head to catch Lilly's eye. "Do you think Jackson's needy?" she whispered.

Lilly gave the singer a confused look. _What are you talking about?_

Miley sighed. Times like this she really wished she had already figured out how to put her thoughts into someone else's mind.

Still staring in Lilly's eyes, Miley discreetly moved her left hand to gently stroke the middle of Lilly's bikini bottoms one time, then jerked her head towards her brother and his girlfriend.

Lilly's eyes widened at the unexpected contact then totally understood what her girlfriend was insinuating. Lilly studied Jackson intently. His face was flushed. He couldn't keep his hands off of Jordan. And his eyes were glassy. And Lilly would place bets that if Jordan weren't sitting in front of his crotch, there would be further visual evidence.

_He is the only one that hasn't had sex today at your house_. Lilly pointed out mentally. _Go for it._

Miley smiled playfully as she turned her head to look at her brother. "Jackson, did you know that daddy has a late afternoon meeting and we're planning on eating at Lils tonight?"

It took Jackson all of three seconds to figure out what his sister was telling him. "Seriously?" he asked, swallowing hard.

Miley winked playfully. "Seriously."

Jackson took a deep breath. "Well then." He leaned over Jordan's shoulder "Jordie, you want to go for a walk to my house?" he whispered in her ear.

Jordan turned to look at her boyfriend's face and then turned to check out Miley's. "Was that just sibling code for 'go screw her brains out'?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

Lilly held up her hand with a stupid grin on her face. "I'll answer. Absolutely." she happily said.

Jordan wasted no time in making her decision. She quickly jumped up from the towel. "What the hell are we waiting for?" she said, reaching down to pull up Jackson and grab the towel. "Bye girls!" she said as they took off towards the Stewart house.

Lilly couldn't resist one last parting shot. "Getcha some stick chick!" she screamed at the retreating couple, sending both girls into a fit of giggles. As they calmed down, Lilly laid on her head down on Miley's shoulder. "They are too adorable together." she pointed out.

Miley reached over the surfer's head to begin running her fingers through the blonde's tangled hair. "I know and to think I never thought he would find someone good enough for him." she said wistfully.

Lilly sighed as she enjoyed the feel of Miley's gentle touch in her hair. "You have high standards."

"Why do you say that?" the brunette asked curiously.

Lilly picked up her head to look in Miley's eyes. "Because I know how wonderful your brother is..." she replied with a wink. "and how he helped you find true love." she added.

Miley felt her smile grow after hearing the warm words from her girlfriend. "And I thank him everyday for opening my eyes to what was right in front of me." the answered truthfully and pulled the blonde into a hug.

As the girls rolled slightly, Miley noticed the guy that Joannie had pointed out earlier. He was openly staring at them and it was creeping her out. Watching Lilly surf was one thing, but this felt like an intrusion on their privacy. "Lilly?" she sighed, frustrated that she was letting one random guy ruin their time together.

"Yeah Miles?" the surfer answered lovingly.

Miley took a deep breath and then explained the situation to her girlfriend. "There's this guy over there. Joannie said he was staring at you while you were surfing…which is fine, but now…he's staring at _us_." she explained as she involuntarily shivered.

Lilly saw the look on Miley's face and felt guilty. Miley had taken so much time and effort to keep her private life...private and then her girlfriend has to go and make a name for herself in the sports world. "I'm sorry baby. Want me to go take care of him?" she asked. This didn't happen too often, but when it occurred, Lilly always wanted to handle it then and there. "You know I don't like it when you feel uncomfortable."

"You'd think I'd be used to it by now." she sighed, frustrated by her own insecurities. Hannah Montana can be stared at by thousands of people, but Miley Stewart can't stand to be looked at by one stranger.

"Baby it's fine. I'll go talk to him." she said, kissing Miley on the cheek and getting up from the towel. "I'll be right back." the blonde promised as she headed towards the stranger.

The man was wearing khaki Bermuda shorts, a loud red Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses and a straw hat.

Lilly approached the man and stopped five feet in front of him and crossed her arms over her chest. This served two purposes. It kept the sleaze ball from looking at her breasts and it also made the muscles in arms bulge ominously. "Hey man, what's your damage?" the surfer demanded.

The gentleman reached up and slowly removed his sunglasses. "Lillian. Nice to see you too." he simply said as a greeting.

Lilly's eyes widened in shook. It may have been six years, but she still remembered the sound of his voice. "Dad?" she whispered, seeking confirmation that what her senses were telling her was the truth.

Here in front of her was her father…John Truscott…What the hell?

* * *

**So, how we going to handle this one? We just might have to call in a favor...hmm, who could help us? Going take a few days, but you gonna like. Review if you wish, love reading comments. - Jess**


	5. Ch 4 Somebody Help Me

**Oh this was just so much fun to write...hope you enjoy it. It's time for life to start getting a little crazy for our favorite girls....sorry it took so long, but it took forever to keep revising this chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Somebody Help Me **

**Malibu, California; May 29, 2009**

It took Lilly a good thirty seconds to recover from the shock of seeing her wayward father. "What are you doing here?" she asked, still slightly dazed from his sudden appearance. It just seemed so odd that he would randomly turn up at the beach one day after six years.

John shuffled his feet in the sand. "I missed you." he answered lamely, unable to think of anything better to say.

Lilly didn't believe the words that had just come out of her father's mouth. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the older man. "Tell me the real reason." she demanded.

John briefly looked towards the parking lot. He knew damn well at this very minute that there was big man holding a sniper rifle in his hands. And that gun was pointed at him. John could feel the sweat beading on his forehead and knew it wasn't from the heat of the summer sun. He shrugged his shoulders and told her the bullshit that The Shop men had told him to say. "I've thought long and hard about the choices I've made in my life and come to a decision...leaving you and your mother was the biggest mistake of my life." he explained, hoping he was coming off as at least slightly convincing.

Lilly stared at her father. He looked very paranoid. It was weird. He seemed to be extremely nervous to be face to face with his daughter. 'But if he was still afraid of me, then why come back?' she wondered.

Apparently, John wasn't going to tell Lilly the truth. Fortunately, the surfer had a lot of things happen to her over the past few years that her father knew nothing about…like falling in love with a girl who could read peoples' minds. "Come with me, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Lilly waved for her father to follow her as she turned on her heels and headed back to where she had left Miley.

As soon as Lilly turned around, she saw Miley sitting up on her towel anxiously watching her. Lilly casually reached up and tapped her temple. Miley's nod was nearly imperceptible. _This is my father. Check him out. Find out everything you can. _She mentally explained to her girlfriend.

Miley nodded as she stood up to meet her approaching girlfriend.

Lilly walked over and wrapped her right arm around the brunette's waist. "Dad, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend."

John was slightly shocked, but not truly surprised at the revelation. His little girl always had been different. _Girlfriend? Well, guess she wanted to get that akward moment out of the way quickly. Hope she doesn't get caught in the crossfire if they start shooting._

"Hi Mr. Truscott. I'm Miley." she said, reaching her hand forward to shake his.

_Thank God she didn't say her last name. Maybe they won't be able to use her if they don't know who she is, but they can probably find out. I wish I could warn them about the wire I'm being forced to wear. _

John accepted Miley's hand and gave it a brief squeeze. She was quite beautiful_. _John thought that the two girls together made a striking couple. The perfect pair of opposites: dark and light; hard and soft; chiseled and smooth.

"So, what do you have to say?" Lilly inquired as Miley slipped behind the blonde girl to wrap her long arms around her girlfriend's shorter frame.

John figured that Lilly was trying to establish if he was homophobic or not. "It's your life sweetheart. Whatever makes you happy." he said, then added as an afterthought, "Miley's a beautiful young lady."

As John finished speaking, Miley leaned down so she could whisper directly into her girlfriend's ear. "Someone's watching him and he thinks they have a gun pointed at him. And he's wearing a wire somewhere." she said quickly relaying the information she had taken from John's head.

Lilly's mind was reeling. _What the hell is going on? Who on Earth was doing this to them? And most importantly, how were they going to get themselves out of this mess? First things first, we need to be able to talk freely._ The surfer rambled in her head.

John's comment about Miley gave the surfer an idea, but wasn't sure if Miley was going to be up for it. It was really out of character for both of them.

_Fondle me. _The blonde thought.

Lilly knew that Miley had heard her thoughts by the sudden gasp that came from the brunette.

"What?!? We're in public!" she lightly hissed in the surfer's ear.

Lilly was still staring at her father and trying not to turn around to look at her girlfriend. Usually when Miley read her mind they were always looking at one another. _Please. Trust me. I got a plan. When I walk away from you make sure you protect yourself. I'll take care of him._ Then, as an afterthought she added,_ Make it dirty._

Miley thought she had a clue what the surfer's plan was, but she was still uncomfortable doing this sort of thing in front of a beach full of people. And she really didn't like the idea of letting Lilly out of her arms when there was possibly a madman with a gun somewhere nearby.

Miley set her head down on the surfer's shoulder so she didn't have to see anyone's reaction to what she was about to do.

Miley slowly ran her right hand down the surfer's rock hard abdomen and snuck her hand under the string of Lilly's bikini to slide along the skin of her pelvic area, just above her hairline. The singer then let her left hand rise up to gently cover the blonde's left breast. With her thumb and index finger she softly tweaked the hardened nipple under her hand.

Apparently, that was all it took to set the plan in motion.

John may have been Lilly's father, but he was still a man. Here were two gorgeous young girls touching each other in front of his face. Of course his body was going to react to the optical stimulus he was receiving.

Lilly grabbed Miley's hands and forcefully removed them from her body as she began advancing on her father. "What the hell is wrong with you? You're my father! That's fucking disgusting!" she said shoving him backwards towards the water.

Mr. Adams was sitting in the driver's seat watching the scene through a pair of binoculars. "Shit! She's pushing him to the water!" he shouted.

Mr. Brown growled as he kept his eyes locked on the scope of his rifle, keeping his target in sight. "We're going to lose communication." he added.

Lilly had continued to use her strength to shove her father to the edge of the water then as soon as they were ankle deep, she put two hands on his chest and launched him out further into the water. He easily flew ten feet backwards. Lilly quickly swam the distance to meet him and put her hands on his shoulders to keep him underwater. "Where's the wire? Is it waterproof?" she demanded.

John looked at his daughter dumbfounded. "How did you…"

Lilly didn't have time to explain everything right now. Her patience was razor thin at this point. "WHERE IS IT?" she screamed at him, while violently trying to shake the older man to his senses.

John was scared. If he went against the Shop, they were going to kill him. But right now, staring into his own daughter's eyes, he saw something far more frightening. In front of him was a young woman who, in a heartbeat, could snap his neck like a twig. He desperately tried to remember what questions she had just asked him. "Strapped to my chest. They said it wasn't." he rambled off quickly to appease the blonde.

Lilly nodded. "Take it off and hand it to me underwater." she ordered.

John made a pained face as he pulled the tapped device off his chest. He handed the relatively small device to his daughter and watched with awe and horror as she squeezed her hand and crushed the small device into dozens of tiny pieces, then dropped them to the bottom of the ocean floor. "One problem solved." she muttered.

Mr. Brown held his hand up to his earpiece hoping to hear any sound. No such luck. "We're deaf." he told his partner. "Now what?" he asked.

Mr. Adams sighed in disgust. This plan was falling apart quickly. They got no closer to discovering her secrets and had now left loose someone that could expose them to their target. It was time to cut their losses. "Eliminate him." he commanded.

John looked at his daughter's ocean blue eyes and shuddered. He had obviously missed out on a few things in the past six years. "I don't remember you being so strong." he commented, trying to keep his distance from her, despite her still having an iron grip on one of his shoulders.

Lilly glared at her father. "Times change." She was in no mood for playful banter. She wanted answers. "Where are they?" she demanded.

John noticed the take charge attitude and was immediately struck by how much the small blonde reminded him of her mother. "Parking lot. Black Impala." he answered simply. Clearly at this point, he was at her mercy. And he saw absolutely no point in angering her for his own sake.

Lilly nodded as she glanced towards the parking lot. "Who are they and what do they want?" she asked, not turning back to look at her father.

John sighed and closed his eyes. "The Shop. And they want…" he hesitated briefly, not knowing how his daughter was going to react to being hunted. "you." he slowly finished.

Lilly glanced over to see Miley staring intently at her with her arms hugging her body. _I'm okay baby. Just getting some answers. _She thought to reassure her nervous girlfriend. Finally, she turned back to her father_. _"Do they know what I can do?" she asked.

"I told them about you putting your hand through objects when you were younger. For some reason they believe you have some heightened physical ability that they want to study. But not exactly what it might be." He laughed lightly to himself as he added, "Considering how strong you are, I would say that they were right." he explained.

Lilly nodded her head. "Come on. Let's get out of here." she said, lowering her left hand to his forearm and slowly walking back towards the beach.

As John stood up, he made himself the perfect target. The bullet was aimed at the center of his chest and would have connected with his heart if it had not passed harmlessly through his body only to slice into the ocean behind him. John turned with wide eyes to take in the splash that seemed to emanate from no where. "Holy shit!" he yelled, as he realized that the tingle in his chest had been a bullet going through his body. He turned his head to stare at his daughter, his mouth open in shock.

Lilly was having a hard enough time keeping her own emotions in check, she certainly didn't have time to deal with his too. She stared at him and then calmly and firmly stated, "If you want to live, you will not let go of me. Do you understand?"

John knew his life was now in her hands. He nodded his head in understanding as they began trudging through the water back towards the beach.

Inside the black Impala, Mr. Brown was livid. "How the fuck did I miss?" he growled. He had been a sharp shooter in the special forces for over a decade before joining The Shop. He DIDN'T miss.

Mr. Adams considered what had just transpired and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know, but I think the old man was telling the truth about her passing through solid objects." he told his partner.

Mr. Brown nodded his head in agreement. It made sense. "You're right. It fits." He briefly contemplated what this was going to mean to the success of their mission. "This is going to be a lot harder than we thought." he told his partner with a weary look. "And we just lost the element of surprise."

As the unlikely couple finally made it back to the sand, John found the courage to speak to Lilly once again. "How are you supposed to get me out of here?" he asked, not seeing how some little high schooler was going to be able to outwit some high tech secret organization.

Lilly glared at her father. She knew it wasn't his fault that this happened, but she still resented this being the reason he came back into her life. "Lucky for you I know people." she snapped at the older man.

As soon as Miley established that Lilly was heading towards her, she rushed forward to meet her and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. "Are you alright?" she whispered into her neck.

Lilly gave the brunette a firm one armed squeeze since she still had to maintain contact with her father. "I'm okay." she promised the singer.

Miley pulled back and examined Lilly's face. The singer could tell that Lilly was keeping her emotions firmly in check. Lilly could be as tough as nails when she needed to be, but that didn't mean that under the rough exterior didn't beat the heart of an inocent young woman who was scared shitless. The singer waited patiently for word from her girlfriend about what they were going to do next.

Lilly had been trying to figure out how they could get out of here quietly, but she decided it was a little too late to worry about that now. The little scene she had made of throwing her father into the ocean had already drawn quite a bit of attention to them. Lilly looked back at the black Impala. "Can you get mom and dad here in a limo as fast as possible?" she said distractedly over her shoulder to her girlfriend.

Miley nodded and then pulled away from Lilly to get her phone out of her bag. "I'll call daddy." she told the blonde.

Miley hit 2, then send. She waited patiently for him to pick up the phone. After five rings, she heard him quietly growl, "This had better be important." The Stewarts had made a promise to each other. Everyone would answer their phone at all times, if they were able. But at the same time, they were to keep each other informed about what they were doing so they knew when NOT to call each other.

Miley sighed. She wasn't looking forward to explaining this. "Daddy, we need you to get us a bulletproof limo as fast as possible." The singer expected some kind of argument at the request, but was shocked to hear dead silence instead.

The sheer terror that had struck Robbie from hearing his daughter's request was mind numbing. Finally, after a solid minute, Robbie Ray found his voice again. "You alright?" he managed to choke out. He knew that if his daughter was on the line, then it had something to do with someone else, and she pretty much would only make a request like this for Lilly, Jackson, or Oliver. So that left only one question in his mind…which of his kids was in danger?

Miley hunched over, trying to keep her conversation private. "I really can't explain it right now. Just please do as we ask. Grab Heather and come get us. Meet us at the parking lot near Rico's." she told her father.

Robbie caught the 'we' in her previous sentence. He just had to know. "Is Lilly with you?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly, terrified of hearing the answer.

Miley sighed. She didn't want to explain things over the phone, but she understood that her father was getting freaked out and she needed to give him some reassurance. "Yeah daddy. It's not us that's in trouble. It's Lilly's father." she sighed, realizing how awkward this situation was going to be for the adults.

This time it took only a second for the country singer to reply. "I'll be right there." he vowed and hung up the phone to start making arrangements with Heather and the limo company.

Miley closed her phone and then turned back to face Lilly and John. "He's on his way." she said as she noticed both father and daughter staring at the parking lot.

Miley stepped forward and stood on John's other side. "Can you see them?" she softly asked.

John nodded his head slightly. He knew they could no longer hear what they were saying, but he had no doubt that they were still watching them. "Black Impala with the cracked window."

Miley felt guilty for doing it, but she had to know what the surfer was thinking.

Lilly was torn. _She knew that she could march right up to that car and take care of the men inside in an instant, but that wouldn't help any of the people on the beach that might get hurt in the process. Lilly just couldn't be the reason for innocent people being hurt. Not to mention the fact that she would be exposing herself at the same time._

Miley stepped around John and stood in front of the smaller blonde. The singer reached down and tugged the surfer's chin up to look in her eyes. "Stop, we'll deal with them later. We need to take care of your father first." she said, glancing at her father.

Lilly wasn't surprised that the brunette knew what she had been thinking, nor was she upset with the singer. She also had noticed that Miley would only refer to John as 'her father' and nothing else. She would try to remember to ask her about that later. In the meantime, Miley was right. John was the priority. "Let's head to Rico's. We're too exposed right now." she pointed out as she looked around the area. If they went over to Rico's, they could hide out near the cabanas, until the limo arrived.

Mr. Adams watched as the three figures headed towards the food stand he had been at earlier. "Shit, they're heading for the concession stand." he said, dropping the binoculars from his face.

Mr. Brown shook his head at their failure. "Let's get out of here. There's nothing more that can be done here." Then the large man dropped his head into his hands and groaned. "He's not going to be happy about this." he told his partner.

"I know." the smaller man replied as he peeled out of the parking lot.

After about forty five minutes of quietly huddling near a cabana, a limousine pulled up outside of Rico's.

Miley turned to looked at her companions. "There's the limo. Let's go." she said.

The three walked over to the limo with Lilly in the middle, who had a hand on both her girlfriend and her father. As they approached the door to the limo, Miley used her mind to put a shield in front of the door, just in case someone started firing, to make sure no stray bullets could pass through the open door. They pushed John inside first, then Miley and Lilly climbed in behind him, closing the door quickly.

The tension in the car was high and no one seemed to want to be the first to speak.

Heather, ever the brave one, dove in first as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the man now sitting directly in front of her. "John." she said in a flat tone, making it clear that she had not missed her ex-husband in the least.

At this point, John didn't know how to act, but if these people were going to save his life, he would do whatever they wanted. "Heather." he replied evenly, his tone holding no malice, only exhaustion.

Miley and Lilly shared a worried glance. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Miley reached down and interlaced her fingers with the surfer's and gave them a gentle squeeze.

Robbie Ray noticed the girls looking slightly frightened. Then he looked from his girlfriend to her ex-husband and decided that he was not about to sit here and endure the uncomfortable tension any longer than he had to. He looked back and forth from the side seat that John was sitting on to the back seat where the girls where located. "Alright, someone wanna explain what the hell is goin on here?" he demanded. Robbie Ray was known for his patience, but not when someone or something dangerous was threatening his girls.

John quietly spoke. "I'll start." he said, clearing his throat. "These two goons showed up at my office a couple of days ago and dragged me out at gunpoint. They tied me up and threw me in the trunk of a car, then beat me until I was willing to get information on her." he said, pointing towards his wayward daughter.

Heather was trying to process what her ex-husband just said. Somebody wanted their little girl. "Who are they?" she insisted, feeling her body temperature rise with her anger. She wouldn't let anyone her hurt her baby.

John shrugged. "They call themselves The Shop. It's either the government or a private organization." he said, trying to be as informative as possible. "I've never heard of them before."

"What do they want with her?" she hissed.

Lilly noticed Miley wiping beads of sweat from her forehead. The blonde thought it was awfully warm in here herself, then it dawned on her why it was suddenly so warm. She turned to her mother. "Mom, turn down the heat please." Lilly begged. The situation was uncomfortable enough without her mother raising the temperature in the car 20 degrees higher.

Heather glanced over at the girls and noticed each of them fanning their faces. The older blonde blushed as she realized what was happening. She made a controlled effort to lower her body temperature.

John was oblivious to what the last comment meant. He continued on as if Lilly had never spoken. "Study her? Clone her? Recruit her?" he offered as possibilities. "I don't really know." he finally said in all honesty. "All they told me was that they wanted me to figure out what she was capable of." he finished, then stared at his shoes for lack of anything better to do.

Lilly cleared her throat to get her parents' attention. "They know for sure now that I can phase." she softly admitted.

Heather tipped her head to the side. Lilly wouldn't use her powers in public for no reason. "How do they know that angel?" she asked gently.

John spoke up when he noticed his daughter having a rough time of it. When everything was happening, she was a trooper, but now that she felt safe, she was starting to come apart. "They tried to kill me. The bullet went through me into the ocean." he explained, then shuddered as he remembered the feeling of the bullet passing through his body.

Heather raised a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god." she said as she was stuck with the ramifications of some agency knowing what her daughter was capable of doing. "Did you tell them about me?" she inquired, knowing that he knew about her fire ability.

John just shrugged. "Honestly, they never even asked about you."

Robbie Ray had been quiet as he listened to everything that was being said. He knew he had to get rid of John, but Lilly and Heather might not like the idea of him being left to fend for himself since they were at least partially the cause of all his trouble. The country singer decided that he needed to call in an expert. "Well, I think it's safe to say that you can't just waltz back to your merry old life like none of this ever happened." he began to explain.

John quickly interrupted him. "What do you want me to do? Go to the police?" he said, throwing his hands in the air, thinking the weird hillbilly couldn't have any idea what they were going through right now.

Robbie Ray had met John Truscott for all of three minutes before he established that he didn't like the man and would love to punch him in the face. Instead, the country singer just smirked at the annoyed man in front of him. "No, I got a better idea." he said, then stared at his daughter. "Miley?"

Miley turned her attention to her father, but he didn't say anything. Then it suddenly dawned on her why he wasn't speaking. He wanted her to read his mind. _You mind if Hannah helps him out? _He asked her with his mind.

Miley looked down at the blonde who had tucked her head into the crook of the brunette's shoulder. Many times the surfer had told the singer that she would do anything for her. Miley was only too happy in this instance to be able to reciprocate the sentiment. "Do it." she told her father commandingly.

Robbie pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed a number. "Roxy? Hey, would any of your Marine buddies be able to help someone get a new identity?" he asked and waited patiently for the bodyguard's response.

Robbie tapped his fingers on his jeans as he listened. "We'll cover it." he said. "I'll call and get the jet." A pause. "Yes ma'am. We'll meet you at the airport in an hour." he said and was reaching up to close his phone when he added, "You're the best Roxy." he said, then snapped his phone closed.

Robbie leaned forward to address John directly. "Alright, Roxy's got friends that can get you a new identity. We'll set you up with some cash and get you on a private jet outta here." he said, outlining his plan to the accountant.

John's jaw dropped and he stared dumbfounded at the country singer. "How can you possibly…" he started to ask until Lilly's girlfriend interrupted him.

"Don't ask." Miley growled at the older man.

John closed his mouth with an audible click. Just like how on the beach Lilly had taken charge, now it was Miley with the air of authority about her. John didn't understand it, but there was something about these two young girls that defied description. But if they were going to save his life, did it really matter how they did it? He nodded his head at the young girl's command. "Thank you." he said solemnly.

Despite his first impression, Robbie Ray just couldn't decide how he truly felt about the man in front of him. This was the man that had loved Heather before him. This was Lilly's father. This was also the same man that walked out on his wife and child.

Robbie looked over at Lilly tucked up against Miley, then raised his arm to put it around Heather's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. John Truscott was many things, but most importantly, he was the past. "No. Thank you." Robbie said with a cross between sarcasm and sincerity.

The rest of the trip to the airport was made in complete silence.

As they pulled out on the tarmac, Robbie had decided that the girls should stay in the car. "No need in this becoming more of a spectacle than it has to." he said.

John looked over at Heather. "I'm sorry I ever asked you to do that experiment."

Heather narrowed her eyes at the man she once loved, but now despised. "I'm not." she said glaring at her ex-husband. "Goodbye John. Next time, call first." she sneered at the accountant, then turned her head away.

John wasn't surprised by Heather's hostility, he had earned it. He turned to look at his little girl. He saw the glassy vacant stare and wondered if his little girl was going to be alright. "Lilly?" he asked.

Miley knew that Lilly was nearing the point of breakdown. Miley just held up a hand and shook her head. "Please, just go Mr. Truscott." she instructed.

John nodded. "Take care of each other." he said as he climbed out of the limo.

As soon as the door closed, Lilly climbed completely on Miley's lap, curled into a ball, and began bawling. "I'm so scared." she cried.

Miley tightened her arms around the smaller blonde as a few tears began falling from her own eyes. "So am I love, so am I." she whispered in the surfer's ear as she lovingly stroked the blonde's hair.

Heather watched her girls for a brief moment before getting up from her seat and moving to sit next to Miley. She wrapped her arms around both girls and gently pulled the singer and the surfer to her chest and gently rocked both of them as they cried.

Outside, Robbie had finished giving some last minute instructions to Roxy. As he was about to head back to the limo, John's hand shot out and grabbed his arm. "Why would you do all this for me?" he asked, begging to understand the country singer's motivation.

Robbie Ray pulled his arm away from the smaller man. "Because for better or worse, your sorry ass is family." he growled. "And we take care of our own." he added, then noticed the stricken look on the accountant's face and suddenly felt slightly guilty for his harsh words. "And this really wasn't your fault." he said, to try and soften his previous statements.

John dropped his head and shook his head. "Thank you." Then he looked over to the plane and noticed luggage and several people getting on board. He turned back to look at the southerner's face in confusion one last time. "But how are you able to do all this?" he asked once more.

Robbie held his hands up in front of him. "Like the little lady said, don't ask. Just be thankful."

John nodded and started walking towards the plane, then quickly turned around and screamed back at the southerner. "WAIT!" Then trotted back over to Robbie Ray. "I almost forgot to mention this, but its probably best that I didn't say it in front of Lilly…they know who Oliver is."

Robbie narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

John couldn't look at the southerner knowing he was dropping yet another load on the other man's shoulders. "Who he is and what he means to her." he replied softly.

Robbie Ray closed his eyes tightly. "Fuck." he swore.

"I'm sorry." John mumbled. He knew it was getting repetitive and wholly inept at this point, but he didn't know what else to say.

Robbie shook his head and started backing away from the accountant. "We'll take care of it. Thanks for warning me." he said as he opened the door and got back into the limo with his family.

* * *

**I guess you can kinda call that a cliffhanger...but techinically I let you guys in on that 2 chapters ago...anyway...next chapter is little less action and a lot of talking...we're going to have a mother of a family meeting and an interesting visit to The Shop...stay tuned. Love to read comments. - Jess**


	6. Ch 5 Keep Holding On

**You know, once you get this family talking...I swear they just don't want to shut up...good thing they are so damn adorable...so even though I would have preferred just ONE chapter of long, drawn out exposition...it turned into _THREE_...so here is the first part...still quite a bit of fun as we see different sides of everyone's personalities emerge.**

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**Chapter 5 - Keep Holding On**

**Malibu, California; May 29, 2009**

Deep inside the recesses of the Shop facility was a large oval office. On the floor was a plush cream colored carpet. Against the walls on all sides with the exception of one small section off to the right, were book selves that went from ceiling to floor. Two very large mahogany desks sat in an L shape in the middle of the room. In front of the desks sat two high back, black leather chairs. Off to the right of the desk, in front of a large stone fireplace, was a brown leather couch and two matching chairs.

Sitting in a computer chair behind the large desk was a tall, well-built man in his mid-forties with sharp features. His short black hair was neatly trimmed and his green eyes were striking. As the phone began to ring, he reached his hand out and picked up the receiver. "Yes?" he answered curtly.

There was a brief pause while Mr. Adams gathered his courage, then he began speaking. "This is Agent Adams calling in with an update on the Truscott case." he said formally.

The man behind the desk began tapping his fingers idly on the arm of his chair. "Did we make contact?" he asked.

Adams knew that his boss was going to be extremely displeased with their efforts. "Yes, we sent the father in, wearing a wire and under duress." he reported.

The man reached over and picked up a pen and started taking notes. "And what did we find out about the girl?" he inquired.

"She can phase through solid objects." Mr. Adams explained, thankful that they had at least garnered one small piece of information from their colossal failure.

The man scribbled rapidly on his pad. "Fascinating, but troublesome at the same time." he noted.

"Yes sir." Mr. Adams agreed.

The man tapped his pen on the pad. "Where is the father now?" he inquired.

Mr. Adams knew this question was coming, and was dreading having to answer it. "We…don't know." he finished lamely.

The man slammed his fist down on the desk in anger. "What the hell do you mean you don't know?" he demanded.

Mr. Adams sighed. "They ran off with him into a crowd and then got into a limousine and drove off." he explained.

The man raised his handto his head to rub his temple. "Why didn't you follow them?" he sighed, displeased with his agent's apparent lack of surveillence skills.

There was a brief pause. "Sir, trailing a limo in downtown LA is extremely difficult." he tried to offer as explanation.

The man sighed in disgust. Belittling the agent for his stupidity wouldn't solve anything at this point. "Did you run a records check?" he said, his tone sharp and clipped.

"We were unable to ascertain any information regarding the whereabouts of John Truscott. He's literally vanished off the radar. No ID checks, no credit card usage, no money withdraws, nothing." Mr. Adams said, detailing to his boss their efforts to locate the now missing accountant.

The man made another note on his pad. "So, we've lost our initial contact? What do you have for backup?" he asked.

"We have the girlfriend's ex-boyfriend on standby and we have the options of her best friend, her girlfriend, her girlfriend's brother, the brother's girlfriend, and her mother." he said, outlining their options.

The man considered the choices that that been offered to him. "Put pressure the girlfriend. Go ahead and use the ex-boyfriend now. Nothing direct. Phone calls, gifts, you know the drill. See if you can get the girlfriend into abandoning our target. Meanwhile, surveillance only. I want no further contact with the target at this point." he ordered. "Call when you have new information." he finished and slammed down the phone.

A tall, thin man, with white hair in his mid-sixties, wearing a military uniform stood up from the leather couch and approached the large desk. "Trouble Maverick?" he asked.

Col. Lance Maverick, the head of Shop operations frowned at his superior's comment. "No General. No trouble. Minor setback." he explained.

The General took a seat in front of Maverick's desk. "We can't afford to lose this one. We need to figure out why she's still alive after all the others are already dead." he stated, crossing his hands in front of him.

Lance nodded his head at the General's assessment of the situation. "We will. But if its because she's the most powerful as we fear, we can't afford to make a mistake." he pointed out.

The General nodded his head. "What about the father? What exactly happened to him?" he asked curiously.

Lance looked down at his notes before answering the General's question. "Apparently, he vanished." he said simply, then thought about what was needed to accomplish such a task. "To do it right, you need money. Big money." he informed the General.

The General leaned against the back of the chair and considered what Lance had just told him. "Interesting." he noted.

Lance reached across his desk and grabbed a file labeled Heather Truscott. He opened it and scanned the top piece of paper. "Heather Truscott doesn't have that kind of money." he said simply. "But she does date her daughter's girlfriend's father." he then added.

The General smirked at the younger man. "How delightfully redneck of them." he commented dryly. "So, what does he do?" he asked.

Lance looked up to catch the General's eyes to see if the name meant anything to him. "Robbie Ray Stewart was a country singer a while back before his wife died." he explained. He noticed the General's eyes widen a bit in acknowledgement of the name.

The General considered the players they were dealing with. "Okay. That _could _explain where John got the money. But, where does a country singer that hasn't sold a record in fifteen years get that kind of money?" he said, trying to understand the dynamics involved in this case. "And surely he didn't make that much from that stupid song."

Lance leaned back in his chair. "We ran the bank records. He has a steady influx of millions from accounts unnamed." he said.

The General raised an eyebrow at the younger man. "Unnamed?" he questioned with a tip of his head.

Lance nodded. "Someone has friends in very high places." he pointed out. "The kind that only big money can buy."

The General reached up to casually stroke his goatee. "Interesting." he said thoughtfully. "I certainly hope you're hiding an ace up your sleeve Colonel." he said to the younger man with a poignant look.

Col. Lance Maverick glared hard at the older man. "I play to win General, even if it means getting my hands dirty." he vowed menacingly.

***************

The ride back from the airport was quiet. After Robbie had gotten back into the limo, Heather returned to her side seat and snuggled up with the country singer. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

As they made their way into the house after the limo had dropped them off, Robbie Ray was the first one to speak. "Alright, we need to sit down and talk about this." he said to the girls.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Miley and Lilly took up residence on the couch, their hands still tightly locked together.

Robbie Ray sat on the chair closest to the door and Heather joined him, sitting on the arm of the chair.

Heather took a deep breath and decided to get the ball rolling. "I think Lilly and I should run." she proclaimed.

Both of the girls' eyes went wide at Heather's statement and then both sat forward on the couch. "WHAT?!?" they shouted simultaneously.

Robbie turned his head to regard the woman he loved with shock. "You out of your mind woman?" he said with wide eyes, still not believing what he had just heard her say himself.

Heather shook her head. "Are we supposed to pretend like this didn't happen?" she demanded as she waved her arm towards the door and all the horror they had just endured.

Robbie shook his head and closed his eyes. He certainly didn't want to give up the the two best things that had come into his life since his wife died. Not without a fight. "Running won't solve anything." he insisted.

Heather reached down and softly stroked his right arm. "But you'll be safe." she replied softly.

Robbie understood that she was making this offer to protect the weaker members of the family, but that certain didn't mean he had to like it. "This isn't about me." he said through gritted teeth.

Heather threw her arms in the air as she stood up from the chair. "Yes it is! The girls and I can protect ourselves. You can't." she said, pointing a finger at the country singer.

Up until this point, neither of the girls had yet to utter a word. Heather was slightly shocked when she finally heard Miley say softly, "How can you take her from me?"

The despair in Miley's voice almost broke Heather's heart. If she thought for a single second that Miley didn't love her daughter more than life itself, there would have been no further doubt after hearing the singer's previous statement. "Miley…" she tried to begin, but was surprisingly interrupted by her daughter.

Lilly released Miley's hand and stood up from the couch glaring daggers at her mother. "Enough!" she screamed.

Even Miley was shocked by the actions of her lover, who up until now, hadn't said much since the incident on the beach. "Lils?" she asked worriedly.

Lilly turned her head to lock gazes with her girlfriend. "We're stronger together." she pointed out, which garnered a huge smile from Miley. Lilly turned towards her parents. "Didn't you two figure that out today?" she asked, waving her hand towards the beach. "We needed each other." she said once more, looking at each family member briefly before finishing her decree. "No one is going anywhere. We are going to go on with our lives and protect one another." she said, then crossed her arms over chest and waited for anyone to try and argue with her.

Robbie Ray was the first one to ask a question in the silence of the room. "What about Hannah?" he asked quietly, knowing that if his daughter wanted her career to be done right now he would happily pick up the phone and make it happen.

Lilly turned her head and noticed Miley watching her with a guarded expression. She too was waiting to hear what the blonde planned to do about their other secret lives. "It's a disguise isn't it?" she asked with a shrug. "No one knows that we're Hannah and Lola outside of this room except for Jackson, Oliver and Roxy. And if we can't trust them by now…" she concluded, letting the statement hang in the air, knowing that everyone in the room agreed that all three of those people were above reproach and could be trusted with their lives.

Lilly briefly thought back to some of the other things her father had said to her on the beach. "Besides, John said that they want me alive. Hurting any of you is only going to piss me off, not make me cooperate with them." she said ominously, letting the threat settle in the air. There was really no doubt in either adult's mind about what Lilly was saying.

Lilly then continued her thoughts about the Shop. "Plus, they don't know what I am capable of. Face it…they're afraid of me." she finished quietly, then took a deep breath before continuing. "And they obviously don't know about Miley." she said, pointing at her girlfriend. "Why else would they be dumb enough to try a covert operation against a mind reader?" she concluded with a roll of her eyes.

Heather stared blankly at her daughter, shocked by both the maturity and the authority with which the teenager was currently handling herself. She turned her head to look at Robbie Ray. "I feel like I should be saluting." she commented, still slightly shocked at her daughter's commanding presence.

Robbie nodded his head, but thought it best that he share the one last piece of information that the girls didn't know about. "There's just one more problem."

Lilly put her hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes at the country singer. "What's that?" she demanded.

Robbie couldn't believe the change that had come over Lilly. How was this the same little girl that he watched crying on his daughter's shoulder only 30 minutes ago? Now she seemed like an angry mountain lion ready to defend her pride to the death. "John told me before he got on the plane that they know about Oliver." he explained, and watched as a little of the fire in Lilly's eyes was extinguished.

Miley stood up from the couch and interlocked her fingers with the surfer's once more. "What're we gonna do?" she asked, her question obviously meant for Lilly and Lilly alone. Oliver wasn't technically family, but he was just like a brother to both of the girls.

Lilly turned her head to lock eyes with the singer. "What will it do if we tell him?" she asked logically. "Sure, he could be a little more careful, but if they pull a gun on him, its not like he could do anything about it." she reasoned accurately. "Besides, he can't tell them anything if he doesn't know anything." she finally turned her head back towards the parents as she finished her statement. "Ignorance is bliss."

Robbie Ray agreed with everything Lilly had just said. But unfortunately, there was one other person that they couldn't apply that logic to. "Then what about Jackson? He knows everything." he said, wanting her to think about every one involved and how to deal with them individually.

Lilly turned to look into Miley's soft brown eyes. She could almost see the love she had for her brother in them. The bond between the Stewart siblings was stronger than some husbands and wives. She knew that no matter what, Lilly couldn't allow any harm to come to Jackson from this. "We make Jackson stay with us." she said firmly.

Miley smiled at her girlfriend's willingness to protect her family at all costs. Some things never change. "He won't want to leave Jordan." the singer said, pointing out the one flaw in the surfer's plan.

Robbie Ray spoke up on Jackson's behalf. "Jackson's an adult. We tell him the situation and the risks involved and he makes his own decision." he said, cutting off any further debate about his son's life without his presence.

Miley nodded at her father's declaration. Then she was struck by a sudden idea. "There is something else we could do." she began, then turned her head back around to look at her girlfriend. "I could tell the world I'm Hannah Montana." she offered.

Lilly was floored. She never expected those words to come out of her girlfriend's mouth. "Are you nuts?!" she exclaimed animatedly.

Miley watched her girlfriend's eyes go comically wide and couldn't stop the slight chuckle that escaped her lips. "But think about, I tell the world Miley Stewart is Hannah Montana, then suddenly Lilly Truscott becomes really famous, really fast." she explained.

Heather nodded, but then added her own take on the situation. "Yeah, but Hannah coming out as a lesbian also might cause backlash." she said hesitantly. "That might actually put Lilly in more danger." she added as she sat back down on the arm of the chair.

Miley nodded in agreement with everything Heather was saying. "Yeah, but do you think a secret organization is going to want to try and go after two of the most popular teenagers in the country?" she fired back at the older blonde.

Robbie nodded his head in agreement and placed a hand on Heather's leg. "She has a point." he told her.

Heather shook her head, not wanting to give in and let Miley give up something so important to her. "I think Lilly's got the right idea about just going on tour and staying disguised." she said, trying to derail any more thoughts of Hannah outing herself.

Lilly brought the singer's hand up to her lips and gently kissed the knuckles. "We'll save that as an emergency back-up plan." she said. The surfer was touched by what her girlfriend was willing to give up for her. The singer nodded her head in agreement.

Robbie also nodded his head and began slowly rubbing circles where his hand rested on Heather's thigh in the hopes that he could calm the argument he was expecting after his next statement. "And I think you need to change your plans and come with us." he said firmly.

Heather's head spun towards Robbie Ray. "But…" she began, but was quickly halted by the look of fear in his eyes. Sometimes it was hard to remember that despite the kids being their first priority, they also loved each other very much. Heather felt her chest tighten at the thought of losing Robbie Ray and realized that he felt the same thing for her. She sighed, as a frown of disappointment appeared on her face. "I'll give them my resignation and two weeks notice on Monday." she promised.

Miley released Lilly 's hand and walked over to stand in front of Heather. "Mom, we don't need the money." she softly reminded her.

Heather looked up and smiled at the endearment Miley had used.

The situation between the five of them was peculiar. Even though the adults weren't married, they acted like they were. And they certainly loved each others' children as much as their own. But they had never pushed the children about how to address them. Robbie and Heather felt that they were old enough to decide that for themselves. Lilly choose to give Robbie a nickname and Jackson usually just called her Heather. Miley seemed to have the hardest time. More often than not it was always 'your mom' when she was with Lilly or 'your girlfriend' when she was with her father. Every now and then, usually when it was something important she would say 'mom' and it would make Heather's heart swell with love for the girl.

Heather reached up and cupped Miley's cheek gently. Her daughter couldn't have found a more perfect match. "I know that Miley." she replied softly. "It's just hard giving up something you worked so hard for." she said, dropping her hand and glanced over at Robbie Ray, seeing the twinkle of recognition in his eyes. "Your daddy knows what I'm talking about." she said nodding towards the country singer.

Robbie Ray grinned madly and leaned in towards Heather and added conspiratorially, "This will give us more time to work on that baby." The country singer said with a wink.

Miley turned to face Lilly as they locked eyes. "BABY?!?" the yelled at each other, then both turned back to their parents. "WHAT BABY?!?!" they screamed simultaneously.

Heather rolled her eyes that Robbie had chosen this very moment to bring up that particular conversation. At least it would be something to distract the girls from their current situation. "Guess we have to tell them now." she said, giving the country singer a dirty look, which was her way of saying 'you tell them'.

Robbie Ray chuckled nervously as he noticed all eyes in the room were on him. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke. "Well, we uh, decided that, uh, we want to have a child together." he admitted with a shrug. Might as well just tell them the truth right?

Miley stood with her jaw dropped open for several seconds. When she finally found her voice, she still couldn't believe what her father had just told her. "Parent in the middle of a crisis say what?!" she demanded.

Lilly stepped in front of her girlfriend and threw her hands up in front of both adults. "Wait a minute!" she began. "So, you want me to marry my step sister…share a half brother or sister with my wife…and our step parents are also our in-laws?" Even after Lilly said it all out loud, she still couldn't believe how much it sounded like a bad episode of _The Jerry Springer Show_.

The surfer turned back to her girlfriend and jabbed a finger into the singer's chest. "And _**you**_ want to tell the world you're Hannah Montana? Can you imagine the field day the tabloids would have with_ this_ shit?" she said incredulously.

Finally, it was Robbie Ray's turn to be slightly shocked. "Back this tractor trailer up." he demanded. "Wife?" he said, playfully glaring at the young woman who owned his daughter's heart. He had no doubt that there would never be any one else for his baby girl other than Lilly, but he still had the right as Miley's father to give her suitor of choice a hard time when the opportunity presented itself.

Lilly spun around to face the country singer. Placing her hands on her hips and tipping her head to the side slightly, she shot back a retort at the older man. "You two can plan to have a baby together but I'm out of my mind for thinking I'm going to marry the woman I've been with for almost two years? Are you kidding me?" the small fiery blonde demanded.

Everyone in the room kept glancing at everyone else, waiting to see who would be the first one to react. Heather lost. The older blonde was the first to let a small giggle slip out of her mouth. That lead to Miley blowing a raspberry, which in turn cracked Lilly the hell up. This led all three woman into heaving fits of hysterical laughter.

Finally, Robbie glanced around the room and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Here were possibly three of the most powerful women in the country, cackling like a bunch of old hens. And that thought alone had him laughing like a madman in no time at all.

After a good solid minute of riotous laughter, Heather threw Miley a playful look. "So, does this mean we're having a double wedding?" she asked, which sent the entire room into another round of fresh laughter.

Lilly and Miley collapsed back onto the couch in a tangled heap, with Lilly on top. Lilly felt a vibration against her arm that was currently resting on Miley's waist. She looked up at her girlfriend. "Is that your phone?" she asked the brunette.

Miley reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. As she glanced at the front face, she noticed the time. "Oh my God. It's after 8!" she told the blonde.

Lilly immediately understood Miley's distress. "Joannie's party!"

Heather hated to put a dampener on the girls, especially after the nice tension breaker they had just shared, but she had to voice her concern. "Do you girls think it's a good idea to go out after everything that's happened today?" she asked.

Lilly rolled her eyes at her mother's over protectiveness. "I think adult men would stick out at a teenage house party, don't you?"

Miley crossed her arms and gave Heather a dry look. "Besides, I think we can take care of ourselves." she pointed out.

Robbie held up one finger. "One promise?" he asked.

Lilly eyed the country singer. "What's that?" she asked.

Robbie's eyes softened. Heather and Robbie trusted their girls, but they were still teenagers. "Please no alcohol tonight. I want you girls sharp at all times until this gets resolved. Promise me?" he requested. He didn't want to be overbearing, but he did want them to think how their actions could affect all their lives now.

Both girls happily accepted the country singer's condition. "Absolutely." Lilly replied as Miley nodded enthusiastically.

Robbie smiled as he reached up and grabbed Heather by the waist and pulled her off the arm of the chair and on to his lap. "Alright, you two go have fun and maybe we'll see about that little brother or sister." he said, leaning in to nuzzle Heather's neck.

The girls looked at one another, jumped up from the couch, and rushed out of the living room and up the stairs.

Robbie threw his head back as he laughed. "I knew that would make 'em run!" he said gesturing towards the stairway.

Heather reached down and gently slapped him on the shoulder. "You are terrible." she said, then snuggled down against in chest. "Robbie, what are we going to do?" she said in a softer voice.

Robbie thought about it for a minute, then answered the blonde's question. "Lilly's right. Just keep living our lives. What else can we do?" he said with a shrug. "What we did for John? Run away from everything and everyone?" Of course the country singer still had the piece of mind that if they did gave to run, they had more than enough money to do it. But despite all the money they had available to them because of Hannah Montana, Robbie still felt guilty about asking Heather to walk away from her job. "I'm sorry about asking you to leave your job." he said, running a hand gently up and down her arm.

Heather shook her head. "No, I should be with the family." she argued back.

Robbie gazed into her light blue eyes. "Miley's right. We don't need the money." he told her, then wondered if Heather really had any idea just how financially sound they were. They had never really discussed money, cause it just didn't matter to either of them. Both families lived comfortably and the Stewarts made certain to maintain a typical middle class lifestyle. Robbie knew that Heather wasn't with him for his money any more than Lilly was with Miley for hers. "Do you have any idea?" he asked curiously.

Heather shrugged, slightly uncomfortable with the current topic. Ever since John had left her six years ago, she had taken great pride in maintaining their lifestyle and being able to take care of her daughter by herself. She didn't relish the idea of giving up her independence and relying on others for her welfare...even if was from the man she loved. "I've read the estimates in the magazines." she begrudgingly admitted. "100 million?" she said, just tossing out a number. The Stewart's were very rich. They was no doubt about that. They just didn't act like it.

Robbie just shook his head. "Not even close. Try more like 500." he said, not trying to impress her, but just being honest.

Heather desperately tried to wrap her mind around the mind boggling amount. "Jesus." she breathed.

Robbie nodded. Of course, most of it was Miley's, but until she turned 18, it all remained under Robbie's name in a trust fund. "People love Miley." he said proudly.

Heather nodded and stroked the side of the country singer's face. "No one more than my little girl." she added with a smile.

Heather's words brought a huge grin to Robbie's face. He truly loved the fiery little blonde as one of his own. "Truer words were never spoken." he answered reverently.

Robbie felt the need to playfully break the slight uneasiness he felt in the air between them after their conversation about finances. "So, what'd you make for dinner tonight?" he asked teasingly, knowing she had originally planned on cooking dinner for them tonight until...life went a little crazy.

"Reservations." she replied with a smirk. Standing up from the singer's lap, she pulled him to his feet. She grabbed her purse and the older couple walked out the door hand in hand.

***************

After the girls had gotten upstairs, they quickly started changing clothes and trying to make themselves presentable after their afternoon on the beach. They considered taking showers, but decided that if they did that, they were never going to make it to the party.

Lilly was sitting on the bed tying her shoes. She looked up to see Miley sitting at her desk putting on some eye liner with a hand mirror. "Miles?" she called out, and returned her gaze to the floor.

Miley set down the mirror and turned to look at her girlfriend. "Yeah babe?"

Lilly nervously played with her hands before speaking her mind. "Are we doing the right thing? I mean, I could always tell mom I changed my mind about leaving?" she offered. The surfer had meant what she said downstairs, but now that she had more time to consider their situation, she didn't want to do anything to put the singer in danger.

Miley's eyes flashed dangerously at the blonde in front of her. She didn't need to read her mind to know what she was thinking about. As always, the surfer was trying to put Miley's needs ahead of her own. Again. The brunette stood up from her chair and stomped over to stand in front of the surfer. The singer put her hands on her hips and bent at the waist until she was glaring at the blonde's ocean blue eyes. "Lillian Jessica Truscott, you listen to me and you listen good." she began in a huff. "We are partners. One day, you _**are**_ going to be my wife. We can face anything life throws at us, but only if we do it together. Do you hear me?" she said in a heated tone, her breathing slightly shallow due to her sudden outburst.

Lilly stared at the singer in awe. Only Miley would have the guts to tell off someone who could physically hurt her and not think twice about it. Lilly had always been attracted to the singer's fire and passion. It was usually one of the attributes she showed more as Hannah than as Miley. But when it came out of Miley, the surfer thought it was one of the sexiest things she had ever seen.

Lilly reached out and pulled the singer forward. The blonde wrapped her hands under the back on Miley's thighs and easily lifted the brunette up off the ground. Lilly pulled the singer flush against her body until the brunette was straddling the blonde's lap. As she released Miley's thighs, her right hand snaked around the singer's neck and forcefully pulled her forward to crush their lips together in a bruising kiss. Miley ran her hands up and down the blonde's torso as the singer happily accepted everything the blonde was willing to give her.

After about three minutes, Lilly finally felt the need to take a real breath and pulled back from the brunette. Breathing heavily from their impromptu make out session, the surfer stared into the only eyes she would ever adore. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" she asked reverently, trying to calm her still racing heart.

Miley smiled and lovingly stroked the blonde's cheek. "God baby, what didn't you do?" she answered, then leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the surfer in a tight embrace.

Lilly snuggled into the singer's shoulder and sighed contently. Miley was so amazing in so many ways, sometimes it just took the surfer's breath away. After a few seconds, she whispered into the singer's ear. "Thanks for helping my father earlier." she said appreciatively.

Miley pulled back from the hug, but kept her arms locked around Lilly's neck. "It's our money." she told the blonde.

Lilly was much like her mother in respect to her financial independence. Lilly used her prize money from her skating and surfing competitions as her income. She would never have asked Miley for money. "No, it's yours."

Miley grabbed a hand full of hair and lightly tugged the blonde's hair back. "Who did I write those songs for? You. Who do I sing those songs for? You. Without you, there never would have been a Hannah Montana in the first place." she stated firmly.

Lilly dropped her eyes slightly to look away from the piercing stare of her girlfriend. "You don't mean that." she said softly.

Once again the blonde's hair was pulled back. "Yes, I do...it was your idea. Best of both worlds, remember?" she concluded, then released her tight grip on the surfer's hair and lovingly ran her fingers through the blonde locks. "I love you and we are going to get through this." she vowed.

Lilly smiled and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the now tender touch of her lover. "What would I do without you?" she sighed contentedly.

"We'll never know." she said, then leaned down to give her girlfriend one last kiss. "And I plan on it staying that way." she said and then wiggled off the blonde's lap. "Now let's get moving." she said, slapping her hands into the blonde's and pulling her up from the bed. "We have a party to get to."

* * *

**If you are wondering...no we won't be seeing any of the party...I felt that it would have been useless filler that I really didn't need at this point. So, no there's three more chapters to get us set up for Vegas and some sweet drama...and I will be paying homage to another HM episode. No different than my previous homages, using some direct dialogue, episode air date and approximate synopsis. Whew...that all being said...ironically, I will be off to Vegas a week from today. I hope to have at least one more chapter posted before I leave. Here's to hoping, but if you don't see anything else before February 9th...don't plan on seeing anything until February 19th at the earliest. Peace and love and review if you want...love to read your thoughts. - Jess**


	7. Ch 6 Stricken

**Here we are again...joy of joys. Okay, so now its time to get Jackson's take on all this...oh, and I guess we need to get Mr. Ryan involved with the story too...hang on to your hats...here we go...see there was something good to come out of a snowstorm smacking the northeast today...nothing better to do than write. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 6 - Stricken**

**Malibu, California; May 30, 2009**

Jake Ryan just finished eating his breakfast when he felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. As he pulled it out, he was struck in the chest with a shot of cold terror as he read the name on his caller ID. _The Shop_.

The actor took a calming breath before opening the phone. "Hello?" he said tentatively.

A male voice rang out in a low baritone. "Jake Ryan?" he asked.

Jake tried to relax as he answered. "Yes."

Upon verbal confirmation, the invisible man proceeded to rattle off instructions to the actor. "Our organization feels that it would be in your best interest to rekindle your previous romantic relationship with Miley Stewart. We would like this to happen as soon as possible."

Jake tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat. "Um, are you aware that she has been in a committed relationship with another _**woman**_ for almost two years now?" he asked, hoping that would somehow negate what the invisible voice was telling him to do.

The response was staccato. "Yes."

Jake rolled his eyes. This was not going to end well, he could just tell. "So, you want me to do what exactly?" he asked.

There was a brief pause before the invisible man began speaking. "Send gifts. Make phone calls. Ask her out. Repeatedly. Don't stop." he instructed.

'Harass Hannah Montana? I'm going to jail.' Jake thought. 'Or her girlfriend is going to hurt me.' Jake remembered his last meeting with Lilly Truscott. He wouldn't lie, she scared the shit out of him. "Is this all over the phone? Or am I supposed to try it in person too?" he asked hesitantly, praying he didn't have to run the chance of coming face to face with Lilly.

The man considered the question momentarily then replied. "Long distance only. You don't go near her unless she is willing to go out with you." he instructed.

Jake was relieved. Lilly couldn't hurt him over the phone. "Alright." he answered, hoping that would conclude the conversation.

Sadly, Jake's hopes were dashed when the voice spoke again. "And Jake?"

Jake cringed. "Yes?"

The voice seemed to drop to a lower register. "You're being watched. If you don't do as your told, we'll kill you." the man reminded him menacingly.

Once again, fear welled up in Jake's chest as he stuttered out a response to the threat. "Y-y-yes sir."

After he answered, the line went dead. Jake pulled his phone away from his ear and looked at the screen. It read 'call disconnected'.

The actor closed his phone and set it on the table in front of him. 'FUCK MY LIFE.' he thought as he sat back in his chair, trying to figure out what to do next.

He was going over in his mind some of the projects that his manager had offered him in the past few weeks. He was suddenly struck with an idea and he quickly picked his phone back up and flipped through his address book until he found his manager's number.

After three rings, a man answered the phone. "Starlight Management. Daniel Fairbanks speaking."

Jake smiled to hear the familiar voice. "Hey Dan."

"Jake, how's my favorite client?" he said in a friendly tone.

Jake smiled. Dan had always been supportive of the actor's career decisions. "Good. Ah, do you still have that offer for me to do that 'Gotcha' show?" he inquired.

"Yeah, they would love to have you if want to do it." he replied.

Jake smiled. He hoped he was doing the right thing. "Do me a favor, call them up and tell them that I want to set something up on Hannah Montana as soon as possible." he instructed.

Dan laughed at the thought of his client wanting to work with the hottest female in the music industry. "You got it buddy." he said happily.

"Thanks Dan." he answered, then hung up his phone.

Once again, Jake set his phone on the table in front of him. "Great, now I just have to start pissing off Miley and hope that Lilly won't kill me until I can explain thingsto them." he said out loud, outlining his plan to himself. "No pressure." he added and briefly shuddered at the thoughts of what Lilly might do to him.

***************

It was about 11:00 A.M. when Jackson returned home after spending the night at his girlfriend's apartment. As he unlocked the front door and entered the house, he saw his dad sitting on the couch watching television. "Hey dad." he greeted his father, closing the front door.

Robbie Ray picked up the remote and turned off the television. "Morning Junior."

Jackson walked over and plopped himself down on the chair closest to the door. "How's life?" he asked. Jackson was surprised to see his father's face cloud over at his question.

Robbie Ray sat forward on the couch and rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands. "Your sisters need to talk to you." he answered in a serious voice. He turned towards the stairs and yelled at the top of his lungs. "Miley! Lilly!"

Jackson was puzzled trying to figure out what could have happened since he had last seen his sisters at the party the night before. They hadn't said anything about needing to talk to him last night.

Miley and Lilly soon appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Miley was the first to speak.

"Hey daddy." she said sweetly, then the singer saw her brother. Miley's face also quickly clouded over at his appearance. "Jackson." she sighed softly.

Lilly remained silent as she took a seat on the chair directly across from him. Miley sat down on her lap and placed her left arm around the surfer's shoulder.

Jackson was thoroughly confused by the way everyone was acting. "What's going on?" he asked, then noted that Heather was the only one not present. He quickly scanned the first floor to make sure he hadn't missed the older blonde's presence. He then wondered if that was why Lilly was so quiet. "Did something happen to Heather?" he asked, concern lacing his normally friendly voice.

Lilly smiled softly at the older boy. "No. Mom went to work today." she explained, then took a deep breath. "Actually, this is about me." she said sadly.

Jackson was beyond confused at this point. The girls both seemed fine. Had something happened last night after the party that he didn't know about? "O-kay. What about you?" he asked, his face showing obvious confusion.

Robbie noticed that the young blonde seemed to be struggling for the right way to start this conversation with his son. He decided it would be best if he helped move things along. Robbie looked over at his son. "Jackson, someone's after Lilly." he explained.

Jackson felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. "What?" he gasped as he looked back over at the girls.

Miley frowned, not happy about having to retell this story. "They know some of what she can do." she said softly.

Jackson's mind quickly processed what this could mean for their entire family. "Fuck." he muttered.

Robbie narrowed his eyes at his son's choice of expletives. "Junior." he warned.

Jackson felt slightly ashamed. He knew how his father felt about excessive swearing. "Sorry." he mumbled. But at this point, it seemed to be the only thing that came to his mind to say. After a few seconds, he pushed for further details. "How do they know about Lilly?" he asked.

Robbie Ray shook his head. "We don't know." he answered honestly.

Jackson considered what his father had just said. "Did you do something out in public?" he asked, not trying to accuse her of anything, but trying to understand how this had happened.

Lilly nodded, but felt she had to clarify her statement. "I did, but they already knew my phasing before they saw it." she explained.

Jackson nodded. So...these people knew about the experiment somehow. But everyone was very specific that this was only about Lilly. 'What about Miley?' he wondered. "Ok, but then how come they don't know about Miley?" he asked, trying to piece everything together.

Miley shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." she replied. She had wondered the same thing herself.

Robbie Ray also had been thinking along the same lines himself. He had actually spent hours last night in bed thinking about that very thing. "I've been thinking about that one myself and I have a theory..." he said, then paused briefly. "I think maybe that was your mama's doing."

Miley sat up at the mention of her long deceased mother. "Mama?" she asked, having no idea what her father might be referring to.

Jackson quickly agreed with his sister. "I don't get it." he added.

Even Lilly's eyes were locked on the country singer waiting for an explanation for his previous statement.

Robbie took a deep breath and began telling the kids a long forgotten story. "Well, after the experimental procedure, your mama was supposed to go to get a checkup every month for the next year." he began and noticed three faces totally riveted by his every word. "Your mama went once, and she never went back after that. She told me that they said she was healthy as a horse and that they never needed to see her again." he said, then paused to think about what he had just said himself. "I thought it seemed a little strange at the time, but I just played it off as unimportant at the time." he concluded. "Or maybe that's exactly what Susan intended for me to do."

Jackson and Miley locked gazes with one another. They both remembered what their mother had been capable of doing. Miley turned her head back to her father. "Do you think she used her power on them?" she asked.

Robbie nodded his head. "I do. I bet she somehow convinced someone to erase all the records about her ever being part of that experiment." he said honestly. In hindsight, it made perfect sense. "I think that was her way of trying to protect you." he said, looking up at his little girl.

Jackson nodded with his father's explanation of how they might not be aware of Miley's existence. "Okay, that would make sense. So, they know part of what Lilly can do. What do they want her for?" he asked.

Robbie looked over at the girls and noticed that neither of them really wanted to say much about the events of yesterday afternoon. So he continued telling Jackson what he knew. "We don't know. All we do know is that was they were willing to kill Lilly's father to find out." he finished.

Jackson was horrified by what his father had just said. He focused in on one word and realized the seriousness of this situation. _Kill. _Jackson couldn't stop the involuntary shudder that racked his body. "So, what do we do?" he wondered.

Lilly felt the need to say the next part since it was because of her that this was all happening. "Well, we wanted you to know what was going on in case…" she began, but choked on the words before she could finish her sentence.

Jackson saw the pain on her face and just knew what she was going to say next. "They come after me?" he finished and saw the blonde fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes.

Miley hugged the blonde closer to her chest and then looked over at her brother. "We would like you to come spend the summer on tour with us..." she informed him.

Jackson knew that his sister had also left part of her sentence unsaid. In his mind, he heard her finish it. _So that we can protect you. _If everyone had not been so preoccupied with what they were discussing, maybe Jackson would have noticed that his sister had finally been able to put her thoughts into someone else's mind.

Jackson's face dropped as realization dawned on him about what it would mean if he said yes. "You want me to leave Jordan for the entire summer?" he asked in a pained voice. He looked up at his sister's sad eyes. Yep, that was exactly what they hoped he would be willing to do.

Jackson's mind raced with possibilities. What if he told Jordan about Hannah or their powers? Okay, more likely Hannah, but that wasn't Jackson's decision to make and he would never betray his sister's trust. "You don't want her to know about any of this, do you?" he asked hesitantly, wondering if maybe he could as least tell her the truth about something. He hated the idea of lying to his girlfriend.

Miley saw the look of hope in her brother's face and immediately felt guilty. "It's not that we don't adore her, it's just that…well…" she said, fumbling for the right words to soften the rejection that she was going to give him.

Jackson's closed his eyes. "You don't know if you can trust her." he offered, knowing that his sister was trying to be kind to him. As always.

Lilly's overprotectiveness flared at Jackson's statement. "That's not fair Jackson. I'd trust Oliver with my life and _he_ doesn't know about our powers." she pointed out.

Jackson mind was racing with everything that had been dumped on him in the past few minutes. It was just too much to process. The oldest Stewart sibling stood up from his chair. He needed some space. "I need to think about this. I'll uh, just be up in my room." he said, then ran out of the living room and up the stairs.

As Jackson took off, Miley called out to him. "Jackson!"

Lilly felt her girlfriend start to stand, so she grasped her hips to keep her in place. "Miles, let him have some time." she said softly.

Miley turned to her girlfriend letting her see the tears sliding down the singer's cheeks. "Think about what we're asking him to do." she said, her heart breaking over the pain she felt she was causing her brother.

"I know." Lilly replied softly, but then felt she had to defend their decision. "How did you feel last night when mom suggesting me leaving?" she whispered.

"I thought I would die if you did." the brunette answered truthfully, understanding what her girlfriend was saying. "He loves her, doesn't he?" she said knowingly.

Lilly nodded. The surfer had no doubt about that. "He does." she answered and tightened her grip around the brunette.

***************

A little while later, someone was knocking on Jackson's door.

Jackson was determined that it had to be his sister. "Go away Miles." he yelled at the door, knowing that if his sister really wanted to open the door, there was nothing Jackson could do to stop her.

Jackson was a little surprised when Lilly's form slowly stepped through the closed door. "Guess again." she quipped.

Jackson realized that the previous thought he just had about his sister also applied to her girlfriend as well. "Right...like a locked door would keep either of you out." he stated dryly, not really mad at the blonde, but still slightly annoyed by the invasion of privacy.

Lilly took a seat in the chair across form Jackson's bed. "Jackson, talk to me. " she said. Then begged. "Please."

Jackson sighed. He knew this wasn't anyone's fault, and that thought only made him angrier. "I'm just…a little pissed off right now." he said, refusing to look at the blonde.

Jackson refusal to look at Lilly, frustrated the blonde to no end. "I'm sorry." she said for lack of anything better to say at this particular moment.

Apparently, it was the worst thing to say to the boy. He turned over and glared at the blonde. "Don't apologize!" he yelled at her. "You didn't do anything!" he said, throwing his arms in the air in disgust.

Lilly was surprised by Jackson's sudden anger, but at least anger should could deal with. "Fine." she growled. "But you need someone to blame and I won't let you be pissed at Miley." she warned the older Stewart sibling. "So make me the bad guy." she declared.

Jackson's mind wasn't functioning properly at this point. He couldn't figure out how Lilly, the victim in this whole situation, was supposed to be the bad guy. "What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded.

Lilly narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. "I know you want to tell Jordan about Miley being Hannah." she growled as she stood up and began pacing the floor and stopping in front of the bedroom door. "But everything that is happening is because of me, not her." she said gesturing towards the door, then pointing back at herself. "If it weren't for me, none of this would be happening." she spat angrily, then slammed her hand against the door.

Unfortunately, as it often happened when Lilly was in a highly emotional state, her hand ended up smashing a hole the same of size as her palm through the wooden door. The surfer surveyed the damage then pulled her hand away from the wreckage. "Damnit." she swore at herself.

After seeing Lilly's lapse in control, Jackson realized how much this situation was truly affecting everyone, not just him. He closed his eyes and sighed. "This isn't your fault." he insisted.

Despite her brief physical release, the anger inside Lilly still hadn't burned itself out yet. "Then whose fault is it Jackson?" she insisted, then began counting on her fingers. "Whose fault is it that Mom is quitting her job? Whose fault is it that we are asking you to leave your girlfriend for months? Whose fault is it that her father was almost killed yesterday?" she demanded, breathing heavily as she glared at the older boy.

Jackson slowly climbed off the bed and approached the blonde. He knew of only five people in this world that could go near the blonde right now and not fear for their lives. He was glad he was one of them. "Stop." he said simply and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You are not responsible for the actions of other people."

Lilly was shocked that Jackson was willing to approach her in this agitated state, let alone touch her. It showed how much faith he had in their friendship; and just how much he trusted the blonde. Her face suddenly softened and she felt all the anger drain out of her at Jackson's display of affection. She dropped her eyes to the floor, suddenly ashamed of the way she had behaved. "But maybe if..." she began.

Jackson interrupted her and spoke calmly. "Lilly, a long time ago I had to learn that sometimes bad things happen. It's not always fair and it's not always someone's fault." he said, hoping that the surfer would know he was talking about his mother's death. "I'm not upset about these Shop people. I'm upset that I have to choose between two people I love very, very much." he finished quietly.

Lilly finally looked back up at Jackson. "Do you want me to talk to Miley about telling Jordan?" she asked.

Jackson shook his head. "No. If Jordan and I are meant to be together, two months isn't going to be the end of the world. I can remember when my dad used to go on tour when I was younger for months at a time. My parents got through it." he said, content for the moment with his decision. "Besides, I have no right to ask Miley to trust someone with her secret. It's too important to her."

Lilly was almost certain that Jackson wasn't as at peace with his decision as he seemed, but she was too emotionally spent at this point to push him any further on the topic. "I just wish we weren't doing this to you." the surfer said softly, still feeling guilty.

Jackson sighed and tossed the back of his hand against his forehead in a dramatic pose. "Ah, my little sisters making my life hell." he said, then smirked at her as he added, "As usual."

Lilly smiled and playfully slapped him on the shoulder.

Jackson rubbed his arm, pretending the slap had hurt. "Hey! Easy there super girl. I'm delicate." he pouted.

Lilly narrowed her eyes at the older boy. "I'll give you delicate." The surfer said as she picked him up from the floor in a cradle carry, proceeded to press him over her head, then tossed him playfully onto his bed. The surfer erupted into a fit of giggles as Jackson bounced twice, then rolled off the far side of his bed.

When Jackson leaned up on the bed, he was relieved to finally see the blonde in better spirits. He laughed with her as he stood up and walked over to wrap the blonde in a big hug. "Everything is going to be fine. You'll see." he said, giving her one last squeeze before releasing the surfer from his embrace.

As Lilly pulled away from Jackson, she once again noticed the huge hole that was now in the middle of the older boy's bedroom door. "Sorry about your door." she mumbled.

Jackson glanced over at the damage and then looked back at the blonde. "Yeah, you are _**so**_ explaining that one to dad." he warned her with a grin, then pulled her back for another hug.

***************

Miley had stayed downstairs while Lilly went up to talk to Jackson. Shortly after she left, Miley felt her phone ringing. She pulled out the phone and was slightly shocked to see her ex-boyfriend's name appear on the screen in front of her. The singer slowly raised the devise to her ear. "Jake?" she said, not knowing why he would be calling now after 18 months.

Robbie Ray turned his head slightly at the name he hadn't heard in quite some time. He raised an eyebrow at his daughter.

Jake was partially relived and partially terrified when the singer had picked up her phone. "Hi Miley." he answered back.

Miley noticed her father's look and waved him off. Nonetheless, she didn't want to have him hear her conversation, so she stood up from the chair and walked over to the back deck to put some distance between her and her father. Not that she had anything to hide, but it was her ex-boyfriend. This conversation would be awkward enough without her father listening in. "Why are you calling?" she asked curiously.

Jake psyched himself up to be as convincing as possible. "Well, I was free tonight and I'm in town…so I thought I could take you to dinner." he said in his most charming voice.

Miley's eyes went wide at the invitation. Jake wasn't a bad guy per say, but he just wasn't the down-to-Earth type that Miley preferred to spend time with. Even though she was the hottest singer in the country on the outside, that's not who she was inside. Miley was a shy, sweet, country girl who loved her family and enjoyed the simple things in life. Meanwhile, Jake was Jake, pure Hollywood diva through and through. "Um, Jake I have a girlfriend. You know that." she said, trying to use the easiest tactic to turn down his invitation.

Jake cringed at the slight mention of Lilly. He laughed nervously. "What she doesn't trust you?" he asked jokingly. The actor was pretty sure that wasn't the case, but he didn't have any ideas about what else to say.

Miley rolled her eyes. "Oh she trusts me plenty. I'm pretty sure it's you she wouldn't trust." she explained with a slight chuckle.

Jake was out of ideas. It was time to beg. "Come on Miley, please?"

Miley rolled her eyes again. He still thought he could have his way and get whatever he wanted. Unbelievable. "I'm sorry Jake, but this is really bad timing right now." Ironically, as she finished her statement, she heard a really loud bang from upstairs, the likes of which she had never heard before. She raised her eyes to the second floor where she knew that her girlfriend was talking to her brother.

Jake countered her excuse quickly. "Well, what a great way to take your mind off of whatever's bothering you!" he pointed out.

Miley was totally distracted from her conversation with Jake. She began walking back into the house. "I'm sorry Jake. I gotta go. Take care of yourself." she said, then hung up her phone and slipped it back into her pocket as she took the stairs two at a time.

Jake stared at his now silent phone. "Damnit." he swore. Miley Stewart had been difficult since day one and obviously nothing had changed.

Jake flipped through his address book and called his manager. "Danny, talk to me." he said, hoping for some good news.

The voice on the other end of the line was much more pleasant than the one in his last conversation. "Got it all set up with the _Gotcha_ people. You are going to prank her next week during the opening leg of her tour in Vegas."

Jake couldn't believe his luck on the timing. It was perfect. And surely he couldn't piss off Lilly that much in a week, right? "Excellent. Make all the arrangements and email me hotel and plane reservations." he said.

"You got it." the manager replied happily.

Jake smiled. "Thanks Danny." he said, hanging up his phone.

Once again, Jake began flipping through his recent call log. He thought it should still be in there somewhere. He was happy when he found it and quickly dialed the number.

"Malibu Floral." a cheerful voice answered.

Jake put a hand up to his face and covered his eyes. "It's Jake Ryan, tell them they should do it now." he couldn't believe he was doing this again. Lilly was definately going to kill him.

***************

After Miley had made her way up the stairs, she slowly walked towards Jackson's room. Her eyes widened as big as saucers when she saw the large hole in the middle of Jackson's bedroom door. 'Guess I know what the noise was now.' she thought.

Miley timidly stepped forward and stood in front of the door. She bent down slightly and was happy to see Lilly and Jackson hugging each other. "Everything ok in there?" she asked.

The sound of Miley's voice slightly startled the room's two occupants and they jumped apart in surprise. Lilly laughed at her own stupidity. "We're fine, but the door wasn't so lucky." she said, gesturing to the door that Miley was presently looking through.

Miley reached to turn the door handle, but found it was locked. She was about to use her powers to unlock the door, but stopped when she thought it would be more amusing to tease her girlfriend.

Jackson and Lilly watched as Miley reached her arm through the hole and unlocked Jackson's door. "See, I can pass through solid objects too." she snickered as she walked into the bedroom.

Jackson rolled his eyes and turned to the blonde. "You two should have your own tv show, I swear." he informed the surfer with a grin after watching the antics of his sister.

Miley stepped behind her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around her waist. "So? What'd you decide?" she asked carefully.

Jackson smiled at the couple in front of him and once again was struck by how perfect they were together. "Family comes first." he vowed.

Miley smiled at her brother's response. But she still couldn't stop the frown from appearing on her face as she thought about his sweet girlfriend. Miley truly liked Jordan, but liking someone and trusting them with your life were two different things. "I still wish we could do something to keep Jordan safe." she said honestly, pulling the blonde against her chest and snuggling into her neck.

Lilly's eyes lit up suddenly. She half turned to catch Miley's eyes. "Well, I bet that Roxy's got some friends." she said, illuminating her idea no further than that.

Jackson thought that Lilly was suggesting that they get Jordan a bodyguard. "How am I supposed to say... 'Hey Jordie. I'm leaving for two months, but here's a bodyguard while I'm gone?'" he asked with a stupid look on his face.

Lilly rolled her eyes at Jackson's foolishness. Lilly would hope after all these years of keeping various secrets that she knew how to be a little less obvious than a shovel to the forehead. "I was thinking more along the lines of like a secret type thing doofus." she said with a smirk.

Jackson thought about what Lilly was suggesting. That would be cool. "You'd be willing to do that?" he asked, glancing over at his sister; knowing the singer would have to be the one to fit the bill.

Lilly looked back at her girlfriend. This would obviously be something that Hannah would handle, financially speaking. But this was for her brother. Lilly was certain she would do almost anything for him. Lilly wasn't surprised to see the glimmer of happiness in the singer's eyes. The singer was only too happy to do anything that would make this decison easier on her brother.

Miley's grin almost split her face. "For you? Of course I would." she answered happily.

Before there could be any further discussion on the subject, they were surprised to hear someone ringing the door bell.

Robbie Ray got up from the couch and walked over to answer the door. As he opened it, he was shocked to see his porch covered with numerous vases of red roses. "Hello?" he asked, looking around for a delivery person, but was surprised to find no one in the vicinity.

Robbie reached down to pick up the first vase that was directly in front of the door. There was a large white greeting card envelope on top of it. On the front of the envelope, in black, bold, block letters it read, 'Special Delivery for Miley Stewart.'.

Robbie eyed the porch warily. He had seen Lilly do some pretty romantic stuff in the time she had been dating his daughter, but now was hardly the time to do something like this. Then he suddenly remembered something happening like this a few years back and the name Miley had said on her phone not long ago. "Oh boy." he said out loud. "Shit's gonna hit the fan now."

* * *

**Okay, so I absolutely LOVE how many different ways I take Lilly in the span of a day. I love writing her so much more than Miley, and I think that shows...so the next chapter was one of those chapters that was never going to exist, but then just kinda happened. I loved the idea so much that it just kept getting bigger...and bigger...so I decided it had earned its own chapter. **

**The good news about this snowstorm is that I will probably have nothing else to do this weekend but write. So you will probably stil see one more chapter before I leave for Vegas. God bless mother nature...i think. LOL. Just to give you a hint...next chapter is influenced by Jordin Sparks song _Battlefield_. Remember, love reading your thoughts and comments. Peace and love till next time. - Jess**


	8. Ch 7 Battlefield

**Yeah 20 inches of snow...it was AWESOME. Only becuase I had no where to be. But so help me if my flight doesn't take off for Vegas Tuesday morning...someone will DIE!! Oh, yeah...the story...almost forgot...This is probably my favorite chapter so far... LoL Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Battlefield**

**Malibu, California; May 30, 2009**

Robbie Ray turned to carry the first vase into the house and screamed up the steps. "MILEY?!?"

The country singer felt like a passenger on a runaway train. You know that at some point, the train is going to crash when you finally run out of track. And it's going to hurt. Badly. As he picked up another vase, he sighed. This was gonna cause trouble, he could just feel it.

The combination of the door bell ringing, Robbie screaming, and everything else that was going on caused all three teenagers to make their way down to the first floor. "Yeah daddy?" Miley said as she hit the last step. Suddenly her senses were overwhelmed by the smell of flowers, roses to be exact. Miley's eyes widened at sight before her. "Holy rose garden!" she shouted.

Lilly was the second one down the stairs. She came to a dead halt behind Miley at the sight in front of her. The surfer's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms and just stood there waiting for an explanation from her girlfriend.

Jackson hit the ground floor and was shocked as well. "Woah." he leaned towards the blonde's ear and whispered, "Overkill, don't you think?" he said conspiratorially, thinking it had been the blonde's doing.

Lilly turned her head and ground her teeth together as she glared at her girlfriend's brother. "They're **_NOT_** from me." she spat.

Jackson's eyes widened at the blonde's words. 'Oh boy.' he thought, then discreetly took a few steps away from the blonde.

Robbie Ray saw the look on the blonde's face. This was going to get ugly, he just knew it. "These just came for you." he said to his daughter while gesturing towards the room full of flowers. Then he handed her the envelope from the first vase. "Here's the card." he said, then held his breath as he waited for the impending explosion.

Miley nervously chewed on her bottom lip as she pulled the card out of the envelope. "The perfect flowers for my perfect flower. Can't wait to see you again. Jake." she read out loud. The minute she was done reading it, she turned to her girlfriend to offer an explanation, but it was already too late. The singer never should have read the card out loud. Miley knew that look in the surfer's eyes. Pure jealousy. "Lilly." she said stepping in front of the blonde, trying to block her path and keep her from bolting.

Lilly didn't even bother to side step the singer, she simply phased and walked straight through her girlfriend's body and headed towards the door.

Miley tried to read Lilly's mind to figure out what she was thinking, but all she got for her trouble was…_Get out of my head Miles._

Miley began to panic. Lilly had _**never**_ told her that before. "Lilly, don't go!" the singer pleaded with the blonde as she reached the foyer.

Robbie was the closest person to the blonde, so he tried to make one last physical effort to stop her from leaving the house. "Hold on there little lady." he said and then grabbed for her arm, but only swiped air as his hand harmlessly passed right through her phased arm and torso.

Lilly walked out the front door then slammed it violently behind her. The three Stewarts were left standing in the living room, staring at one another in silence after her departure.

Robbie Ray glanced down at his hand and flexed his fingers. He knew what Lilly was capable of, he had watched her use her power of many occasions, but this was the first time he had actually experienced it for himself. "Well, that was weird." he noted to himself.

Jackson had watched everything unfold in stunned silence. Finally, he was able to question his sister. "Jake? As in Jake Ryan?" he asked.

Miley had the most dumbfounded look on her face. She still couldn't believe what had just happened. "He called me like ten minutes ago and asked me out to dinner. I said no and reminded him that I had a girlfriend." she yelled, helplessly throwing her hands into the air. "How is this my fault?" she demanded, then took off up the stairs.

Robbie Ray just chuckled slightly and went back to the couch to continue watching television. "Soap Opera. Heather is so right. It's a danged soap opera." he mumbled to himself.

After Lilly had exited the house, she knew exaxctly where she would go. It was the same place she always went to for comfort when the Stewart's couldn't be there for her. Oliver's. She reached into her pocket, quickly pulled out her cell phone, and put it on silent.

The surfer's body was fresh with anger fueled energy, so she decided to run to Oliver's since she hadn't grabbed her skateboard. He lived about a mile away.

The whole way there the only thing Lilly could think about was Jake Ryan and the last time he pulled shit like this.

_It started out just like this. Texts. Phone calls. Lots of gifts. It ended with Miley telling him that she loved him._

Lilly ran faster.

_Jake had money. Jake could take care of Miley. They had so much in common._

The blonde ran even harder, making her body go faster still.

_Jake was safe. No one was after him. He wouldn't put Miley's life in danger._

The last thought caused Lilly's anger to surge higher yet and she ran even **_faster_**.

Lilly turned the corner on to Oliver's street and was surprised at how quickly she had gotten there. As she slowed down to a halt in front of her best friend's house, she pulled out her phone to check the time. It had only been five minutes since she put her phone on silent. 'Guess if I get bored next year I could always join the track team.' she thought wistfully.

Lilly stepped up on Oliver's porch and knocked on the front door.

Oliver opened the door with a smile. "How's my best gal pal?" Oliver's face immediately fell as he saw Lilly's red face and heard her heavy breathing. She looked like she had just finished a marathon. "Lils, what's wrong?" he asked, suddenly concerned that something had happened. Lilly enjoyed exercise and sports, but she had never really been a fan of running...just to run. She thought it was boring. Therefore, if the blonde ran here, something had to be wrong.

Lilly took his arm and pulled him out on the porch. He closed the door behind him. Then they took up residence on his porch step. After her breathing returned to normal, she finally spoke to him. "Do you ever feel like you might not be good enough for Joannie?" she asked, hoping the question wasn't too personal.

Oliver couldn't keep the confusion from his face. "W-what?" he asked. Not really the first thing he had expected to come out of her mouth.

Lilly closed her eyes. "I…it's stupid." she said, thinking about how she was feeling at the current moment.

Oliver reached up and turned her chin so he could look in her eyes. "If it's bothering you, it's anything but stupid. Now talk to me." he said gently.

Lilly looked into the loving eyes of her best friend. "Jake's back." she sighed softly.

Oliver rolled his head back at Lilly's revelation and groaned. "Oh joy." _That boy causes nothing but drama everytime he comes around._ The swimmer thought.

"And I think he wants Miley back." she added, with a sad look.

Oliver's head snapped back to attention at that statement. "In who's dreams?" the shaggy haired boy shot back, then took a deep breath. "Okay, so what? Just because he wants something doesn't mean he's gonna get it." he said rolling his eyes, thinking of some of the things he had witnessed Jake do over the years. Damn egomaniac.

Lilly stared at the ground in front of her as she tried to figure out how to make Oliver understand what she was feeling. "Well, he's everything I'm not. He's handsome, rich, famous…" she explained.

Oliver knew that the only way to fight fire was with fire in this instance...so fire back at the blonde he did. "You're absolutely gorgeous, a surfing champion, and Hannah Montana's BF." he said, quickly rattling off three of her attributes in comparison. The boy shook his head in confusion. "Where is this coming from?" he said picking up her right hand, interlocking their fingers, and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Miley loves you." he reminded her softly.

Lilly nodded, she never once doubted that Miley loved her. The surfer knew it in her heart. But her parents had loved each other, and something managed to drive a wedge between them in the end. "I know she loves me, but…" she began, trying to figure out how to explain things to Oliver without telling him about their current situation.

"But what?" he asked as he softly stroked her hand.

Lilly sighed. "Maybe there's more important things than that in life? Like safety and security? Jake could give her those things." she answered softly.

Oliver released her hand and stood up from the step. He crossed his arms over his broad chest and stared defiantly at his best friend sitting in front of him. "Lillian Truscott, you are being an _**idiot**_." he said, emphasizing the last word specifically.

Lilly just stared dumbfoundedly at the boy standing above her. She came here for comfort, not insults. "WHAT?" she shouted back in disbelief.

Oliver pointed in the direction of the Stewart's house. "You march your butt back to that house right now and you tell her how sorry you are for being an _**ass**_." he insisted.

Now it was Lilly's turn to stand up. The blonde put her hands on her hips and glared at the taller boy. "Why am I an ass?" she demanded, clearly annoyed with her best friend.

Oliver gave a slight smirk. After 12 years, he knew his best friend better than she knew herself sometimes. "Did you talk to her about any of this nonsense or did you just walk away in a huff?" he asked with a knowing grin.

Oliver's words vanished Lilly's self-righteous anger as surely as if he had popped a balloon. "I…I may have walked away." she admitted begrudgingly.

Oliver gave the blonde a nod, expecting that very answer. "And did Miley try to stop you?" he then asked.

Lilly was starting to feel very small. "Yes." she answered, as she turned her head away from Oliver's.

When the blonde looked away, Oliver knew he was getting through to her. "How many messages have you gotten since you left her house?" he inquired.

Lilly shrugged, she didn't want to give Oliver the satisfaction of telling him he was right. "I put my phone on silent." she told the boy.

The dark haired boy narrowed his eyes at the blonde surfer, "How many Lil?" he insisted.

Lilly blew out a breath. "I already had three before we started talking." she told him truthfully.

The beaming smile that appeared on Oliver's face was so big, you would have thought he had just gotten laid. He was so proud of himself. He stepped forward and leaned into his best friend's personal space. "Listen to me. I'll say it S-L-O-W-L-Y so you can follow me. _**She. Loves. You.**_ And there is no other person...guy or girl that is going to come between the two of you. And if you weren't so damn hotheaded, I bet she would have told you that exact same thing before you ran off in a huff." he said with a final nod.

Lilly just stared up at her best friend of over a decade. He really was the perfect man. Sensitive, caring, understanding, sympathetic, handsome, smart, funny…someday he was going to make some woman very, very happy. Lilly couldn't stop the smile that crept on to her lips. "How do you know just what to say to a girl?" she asked.

Oliver shrugged. "It's a gift." he answered light heartedly.

Oliver's attitude was infectious. "I hope it came with a no return policy." she replied with a smirk.

Oliver tapped his index finger against his head as if pondering an important question. "Now, if I don't miss my guess, the love of your life is frantically waiting for you to return." he predicted.

Lilly started laughing madly and launched herself into her best friend's arms. "You're the best Oliver. I love you." she said, hugging him tightly.

"Love you too Lils." he said into her hair, then pulled back to look in her eyes. "Now get yourself where you need to be." he insisted.

Lilly nodded and took off running back in the direction she had just come.

Oliver watched until Lilly rounded the corner and disappeared from his line of sight. Shaking his head in disbelief, he commented, "She can be such a guy sometimes." then turned around and headed back into his house.

Lilly returned to the Stewart household in a much more normal time frame. It took her about ten minutes to make the trip from Oliver's this time. She walked up to the front door and slowly opened it, anxious to see who would be in the living room. She was relived that it was only Robbie Ray. She wanted to deal with Miley in private. "Hey Railroad." she said casually as she walked in the door.

Robbie turned to give the small blonde a fatherly glare. "You calmed down now?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

Lilly felt ashamed. She had acted like a brat and she knew it. Robbie Ray had every right to be displeased with her behavior. "Yes sir." she sighed apologetically. "I'm sorry about how I acted…and the um, walking through your hand thing." she muttered awkwardly.

Robbie Ray was glad to see the blonde had come to her senses. And he could tell she was truly sorry for the way she had acted. Besides, he never could stay mad at any of his kids for any length of time. He chuckled softly at her statement then gave her a wink. "It kinda tickled." he informed her.

When Lilly heard the old man teasing her, she knew that he wasn't too upset with her. The surfer walked over and sat on the couch next to the country singer and gave him a hug. "Where's Miley Railroad?" she asked into his shirt.

Robbie wrapped an arm around the blonde and kissed the top of her head to let her know that she was indeed forgiven. "Your room." he answered softly.

Lilly sighed deeply. "Is she…"

Robbie shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure what she is. After you walked out the door she just had this shocked look on her face and went up to her room. Jackson tried talking to her, but she locked the door and turned up her stereo." he said, explaining to the blonde what had transpired in her absence.

Lilly cringed at the thought of leaving the Stewart men to deal with a distraught Miley. "I screwed up." she admitted to the older man.

Robbie Ray nodded as he held his 'other' little girl. "Kinda, but I think I understand where you were coming from. The last time he did this, she went running into his arms." he said.

"Yeah." Lilly agreed.

"But it's different this time." the older man then added.

Lilly pulled back slightly so she could look in the country singer's eyes. "And why is that?" she asked curiously.

Robbie Ray smiled lovingly. For someone who could be so physically strong, it amazed him how emotionally fragile she could be at times. "Now she has everything she ever wanted." he answered softly. "in you." he added, nodding at the blonde.

Lilly felt the tears welling in her eyes and dove back into the safety of the older man's embrace. He was everything a father should be and she was so thankful that she could consider him...hers. "Thanks dad." she said with a sniffle.

Robbie could feel his own eyes beginning to water. The little blonde was truly becoming one of his children in every sense. "Get get 'er darlin." he said, releasing his arms and watched as the little blonde jumped up and took off for the stairs like her pants were on fire.

Standing up from the couch, he thought to himself, 'There's gotta be a song in this mess somewhere.' he thought and walked over to the piano to jot down some notes.

As Lilly reached the top of the stairs, she could here the music blaring from Miley's room. She was hardly surprised by the song that was playing and chuckled to herself as she stopped in front of the door. _Battlefield_ indeed. The surfer tried knocking, but she doubted that Miley could hear it over the volume of the music. After not getting a response from knocking, she reached down to try the door knob and wasn't surprised to find that it was locked. Lilly sighed and looked at the door in front of her. She took a deep breath to steel her nerves, then phased herself through the door.

As Lily looked around the bedroom, she was a little surprised to find that Miley was no where in sight. The bathroom door was open and the light was off. The singer must have been outside on the balcony. Lilly slowly walked over to the French doors and carefully opened them, as to not frighten her girlfriend. It was never wise to startle someone who could mentally throw you off the second story. "Miles." she called out, before stepping out on the balcony.

Miley had been sitting on the angled roof and immediately jumped down when she heard the blonde's voice. "I'm so sorry." she said, rushing towards the surfer.

Lilly threw her hands up in front of her. "Woah! Why are you apologizing when I was the one being an idiot?" she asked, totally confused. She expected the brunette to be pissed off at her for walking out. An apology was the last thing she had been expecting.

Miley thought the exact same thing, but she didn't think that was the right thing to say to the blonde at this point in time. "W-what?" she stuttered as she watched the blonde's face for hints about how the surfer was feeling.

Lilly sighed. When in doubt, be honest. "Honestly? It's been a rough 24 hours. And Jake's timing was really, really bad." she began as she looked away from Miley's piercing stare, finding it extremely difficult to admit her fears to the woman she loved. "And every once and a while, I wonder if I'm really good enough for you." she admitted quietly. "So, I was feeling a little unworthy of you with everything that was happening and then Mr. Perfect pops up…" she said, before trailing off, the last words of her sentence getting caught in her throat. She looked back up at Miley's eyes. The surfer knew she couldn't say the last words of her statement out loud. _And I thought I might lose you. _She thought.

Miley's heart tightened in her chest. The singer's eyes softened. "How could you think that?" she asked gently. "You are everything to me. As long as you breath, no one will ever be able to take your place." she vowed lovingly.

Lilly heard the words and felt relief wash over her body. Lilly's fears were truly irrational. Miley completely loved the blonde surfer and had done nothing to indicate anything to the contrary ever since they had gotten together. But despite everything, a small part of the blonde would always be terrified of losing Miley.

Lilly leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the singer's lips then leaned their foreheads together. "I love you. I'm so sorry for how I acted." she said.

Miley knew why Lilly thought she wasn't good enough for the singer, but Miley didn't know how to convince the surfer otherwise. Somewhere in Lilly's mind she was determined that someone as famous as Hannah Montana deserved someone of equal prestige, and amateur surfing champion Lilly Truscott simply did not fit the bill. And no matter how many times Miley told her otherwise, the singer just couldn't get the idea out of the surfer's thick head.

Miley reached up and tenderly stroked the blonde's cheek. "It just shows how passionate you are about loving me." she said softly. After everything that had happened in the passed two days, this may have not been appropriate, but the singer felt it was something they both needed right now. "How about I show you how passionate I can be about you?" she purred, purposely thickening her accent to turn on her lover.

Lilly felt her mouth go dry. Even though it had only been two days since their last sexual encounter, it felt like it had been weeks with everything that had been going on. Lilly slid a leg between Miley's and placed her hands on the singer's hips, then pulled the brunette tightly against her body, creating a delicious friction in all the right places. "I think I'd really like that." she whispered in the brunette's ear.

Miley leaned forward and captured the blonde's lips in a heated kiss, full of love. Lilly moved one hand around to cup Miley's buttocks and lift her slightly into the air. Miley took the hint and pulled her legs up to wrap them around the surfer's waist.

Lilly carried the love of her life back into the bedroom and closed the balcony door.

They thought it best to leave the stereo turned up for just a little bit longer.

***************

Heather came home, not long after Lilly. She slipped off her heels, tossed her briefcase on the chair and walked over to join Robbie Ray on the couch. She leaned forward and gave him a tender kiss. "So, how was your day?" she asked as she leaned her head against his chest.

Robbie chuckled and decided he would have a little fun with his girlfriend. "Well, let's see now. Jackson needs a new bedroom door. Miley's getting Jordan a bodyguard. And Lilly's gonna kill Jake Ryan." he answered with a straight face.

Heather pulled back from his chest to study his eyes and see if he was teasing her. And even though the country singer was smiling slightly, he looked dead serious. "You're not joking, are you?" the blonde asked, just to be sure.

Robbie Ray shook his head sadly.

Heather just stared at him in disbelief. "I was only gone for six hours." she said in a huff.

Again Robbie nodded his head in response. "It doesn't take very long in this house." he gently reminded her. "Oh, and there's a surprise for you on the back deck." he said.

Heather looked at him curiously, then she got up to go look out the sliding glass door. Sitting on the deck table were several vases full of long stemmed roses. "Robbie, they're beautiful." she said lovingly as she ran back over to the couch and threw herself back into the country singer's arms.

Robbie decided that Jake's nice gesture should be appreciated by someone. And if Robbie got the credit, who was he to complain?

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**I know, it just screamed for a love scene that I just had no desire to write. Anyway, so we are getting closer...I need 2 more chapters to tie everything together and then its off to Vegas baby. Oh and here's a little diddy about the next chapter...it involves a stripper...no, seriously. Be back in a week. Love to read thoughts and comments. Peace and love till later. - Jess**


	9. Ch 8 Think Twice

**Wow. Las Vegas was absolutely FABULOUS! So much fun...60's and sunshine...then I got to return to the great white north and dig out my car and our driveway...why oh why did I come back? Heh...I guess to write...Ok, so where were we? Jake is harassing Miley and pissing off Lilly via the Shop's orders...our girls had a small fight, but got over it quickly with a little help from Oliver...Jackson has to tell Jordan he's leaving for two months...Heather has to quit her job...and I think that catches you up on all the major points since it has been so long since the last chapter.**

**So I think I mentioned that this chapter has something to do with a stripper...I wasn't kidding...**

* * *

**Chapter 8 - Think Twice**

**Malibu, California; May 31, 2009**

Jackson was nervously pacing back and forth in front of the door to his girlfriend's apartment. Jordan had made plans with some of her friends yesterday and had gone to Beverly Hills on a shopping trip. He certainly didn't want to tell her about going away over the phone, so he decided to wait until today when he could tell her in person. He was supposed to be picking her so they could spend the day at the beach together.

Now that it was finally time to face his girlfriend, he was scared shitless. Jackson felt that they had a strong relationship, but he was beginning to have his doubts. Would she get lonely while he was gone? What if she met someone else in her summer classes? No one was immune to temptation.

All these thoughts kept swirling in his head until he closed his eyes tightly and knocked on the door.

Jordan opened the door wearing a pair of jean shorts and a white tank top. The hockey player smiled as she reached out to hug her boyfriend. "Jackson." she sighed contentedly as she reveled in the feel of his arms wrapped around her. She pulled back from the embrace and looked in her boyfriend's eyes. "I'm ready to go, I just need to grab my purse." she said and tried to step away from her boyfriend, but Jackson was unwilling to release his hold on her.

Jordan thought he was just being playful until she noticed the sad look on his face. She immediately became worried. "JR, what's wrong?" she asked, concern etched on her face.

Jackson swallowed and tried to figure out the best way to do this. He decided that the front stoop wasn't the ideal place for this conversation to take place. "Can we go inside and sit down?" he asked hesitantly.

Now Jordan was more than just a little scared. In all the time she had known Jackson, she had never seen the boy be so melancholy. Something was cleary wrong. Jordan took Jackson by the hand and led her boyfriend over to the couch. They sat down facing one another. "What's wrong?" she asked, placing a hand on his leg.

Jackson stared at her hand on his leg for a moment, then covered it with on of his own and looked up into her beautiful green eyes. "Did you ever have to make a really hard decision?" he asked in a serious tone.

Jordan could no longer hide her growing concern at her boyfriend's behavior. "Jackson, you're scaring me." she admitted softly.

Jackson sighed. It was so easy yesterday without Jordan there to make the decision to leave her for two months. But now, looking into her eyes, he wasn't sure if he could make myself do it. "Was it hard for you to leave your family? And come to school in California?" he asked her, desperately trying to not yet say what he was supposed to.

Jordan could tell that Jackson was torn up about something, but she couldn't understand where his line of questioning was going to lead. She decided to answer truthfully and see where it led them. "Yeah it was. I cried for days after I got here. But then I met you and your family and it wasn't so bad anymore. I still miss my family, but I feel like I have a new life now." she explained, then wondered if she had said the wrong thing as she watched his face fall at her response. "Does that make sense?" she asked hesitantly.

Jackson gave her a sad smile. He was thrilled to hear the Jordan liked his family, but it seemed to only complicate things even more. "Yeah and you have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that." he told her.

Jordan raised her other hand to his cheek and caressed it lovingly. "Jackson, please just come out with…whatever it is." she begged him.

Jackson took a deep breath and decided to get it out as quickly as possible and not stop for any reason. "My dad wants to take our family on this cross country roadtrip together. It's Miley's last summer before college and he wants us to do one last big thing together as a family before we move on with our lives." he rattled off, then held his breath waiting for her reaction.

Jordan tore her eyes away from the man she loved. "Oh." she simply said.

Jackson watched as Jordan's face fell and decided that despite what his family meant to him, he would do anything to make that look disappear. He shook his head adamantly. "Never mind." he insisted. "I won't go. It's not that important."

Jordan looked up and could tell that Jackson was lying. This was his family he was talking about. It most certainly was a big deal. Jordan knew how close he was to his family, especially his sister. Jordan envied the relationship he had with Miley. She and her sister could barely stand to spend an hour together without fighting, whereas Miley and Jackson hung out together because they enjoyed each other's company.

But for Jackson to sit in front of her and lie and say that his family wasn't important…that was monumental. In Jordan's mind, this was about one or two steps shy of a marriage proposal. The hockey player hoped she was reading this correctly, but she needed to make sure.

Jordan clasped his right hand between both of hers. "If I didn't say another word right now, you really wouldn't go, would you?" she asked, searching for confirmation of what she thought he was telling her.

Jackson bristled at the question. "I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions." he said with a slight attitude, defending his manhood.

Jordan released his hands and dove into his arms. "How did I get so lucky?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around Jackson in a tight embrace.

Needless to say, Jackson was confused to high hell. "W-w-what?"

Jordan pulled back and then took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply. When she pulled back from the kiss, she was grinning like a madwoman. "You are going to go with your family." she stated.

Jackson was so lost at this point, he couldn't understand why she was acting this way. "No. Jordan it's fine." he insisted.

Jordan threw her head back and laughed. He was just too precious. "No, you are going to go. And you are going to call me everyday and take lots of picture and tell me all kinds of stories about how much trouble you and your sister manage to get into. And when you get back, I will be right here waiting for you." she promised, then leaned in to give him another long kiss.

Jackson was running over the previous conversation in his head. He said was going to go and she was sad. Then he said that wasn't going to go and she was happy, but then Jordan said he had to go. But when he still said he would stay, Jordan insisted that he went instead. It didn't make any sense in Jackson's head. "But, I don't understand. Why aren't you upset anymore?" he asked, still trying to understand his girlfriend's sudden change in attitude.

Jordan laid her head on Jackson's shoulder. "You would be willing to pick me over your family Jackson." she said softly, massaging his chest.

Jackson didn't think it was quite as simple as she made it sound, but didn't want to argue with her. Instead, he nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, I guess."

Jordan picked her head up and smiled at him. "Don't you see how much you must love me to be willing to do that?" she said, her voice thick with emotion.

Jackson stared at his girlfriend slightly dumbfounded. She was right. Wow. He was really, really in love with her.

Jordan saw that her boyfriend was still coming to terms with what she had just told him. "Jackson, I love you. Believe me, I'll wait. And I promise, I'm not going anywhere." she said, then leaned forward for another kiss.

They didn't get to the beach for another hour.

************

Miley and Lilly spent a wonderful morning together at the beach. Hannah had a concert rehearshal this afternoon, so the young couple had wanted to enjoy what time they could before Miley would disappear for the entire afternoon. After some surfing, swimming, and lounging on the beach, the young couple had decided to go back to the house to get something for lunch.

"Anything in particular you want for lunch baby?" Miley asked.

Lilly just smiled and shook her head. "Anything is fine with me." She told her. "I'll be right in."

Miley walked in from the deck, while Lilly stashed her surfboard underneath the deck.

Miley walked towards the kitchen thinking about what they could have for lunch when she noticed that there were now two gift baskets sitting on the dining room table. Before the young couple had left for the beach, the singer had received the first one. It was a fruit basket with a note that read, 'For the apple of my eye.' The second one must have been dropped off before her father went to the realty office to have lunch with Heather.

Miley leaned down to examine the second basket. It was full of cheese, crackers, and some various smoked meats. The brunette reached down and pulled out the card that was attached to the top of the handle.

It read, 'Need to see you soon - Jake'.

Miley closed her eyes and groaned. She wish she knew why Jake was doing this. He certainly knew that Miley had a steady girlfriend and he also knew how jealous and overprotective Lilly could be at times. At some point, this was going to end badly for Jake and Miley wished that she could somehow make the actor understand that.

Miley turned her head slightly as she heard the sliding glass door close and knew that Lilly was heading towards the kitchen. She didn't have the guts to turn around and see the look on her face when she saw the second basket.

Miley felt the surfer's arms wrap around her waist and then felt a chin on her shoulder. She closed her eyes tightly, hoping that her girlfriend would remain calm after seeing the new gift. The singer held her breath, waiting for the surfer's reaction.

Lilly felt her girlfriend tense up in her arms. The surfer thought that was an unusual reaction to her touch, until she noticed the second basket on the table. The surfer was truly starting to hate that boy. "Another one?" the surfer sighed in disgust.

Miley cringed at the sound of Lilly's voice. The blonde was not happy. The singer nodded her head. "Yeah."

Lilly laid her head on the brunette's shoulder. "What's this one say?" she asked, knowing that she really didn't want to know, but curious nonetheless.

Miley rested her hands on top of her girlfriend's arms and gave them a comforting squeeze. "Need to see you soon." she answered quietly then felt her girlfriend's arms stiffen.

Lilly dropped her arms and stepped back from the singer. The surfer knew that Miley had done everything in her power to discourage the actor. She ignored his text messages, hung up on him if he called, and even threw out most of the gifts he sent. And despite all that, he still kept hounding the singer. "Does that boy understand the meaning of the word no?" she asked as she began stalking around the living room.

Miley turned to regard her fuming girlfriend. "You remember that we're talking about Jake Ryan here, right?" she said as she placed a hand on her hip. Miley sighed and ran her hand through her thick chestnut curls. "Look, can we not talk about him please. I only have an hour until I have to leave for rehearsal." she said as she walked up and put her arms around the surfer's neck. "And I think that time could be far better spent...eating." she said in a playful tone.

Lilly nodded her head, trying to relax her tense muscles. "I am kinda hungry." she pointed out as she placed her hands on the singer's hips. The surfer had come back to the house with every intention of having her way with her girlfriend before she left for the afternoon. They had been very affectionate this morning at the beach and it had nearly driven the surfer insane with want. And she wasn't going to let Jake Ryan ruin her plans.

Miley rolled her eyes at her girlfriend's statement. "You're always hungry." she retorted.

Lilly ran her hands over the singer's tight ass, then leaned in to whisper huskily in the brunette's ear. "I didn't say for what." she said, running her tongue along the outside of the singer's ear.

Miley shivered with desire and ran her fingers up into the blonde's hair, grabbing a fist full and yanking her head back with surprising force. Miley knew one good way to distract the surfer from the recent Jake drama. Miley leaned in and attacked the surfer's pulse point with a vengence...sucking, licking, and biting for all she was worth.

If Lilly hadn't already been aroused, that one single action would have made her in a heartbeat. The surfer moaned in appreciation of her girlfriend's administrations and pulled the singer flush up against her hard body.

Lilly absolutely loved it when Miley was rough with her.

Miley knew how strong her girlfriend was and that no matter what she did, she couldn't possibly hurt the blonde. And best of all, the singer knew it drove Lilly wild when she dominated the much stronger girl.

Miley pulled away from the blonde to inspect her handiwork. Lilly had a small mark on her neck, but nothing too obvious. The singer grinned at the blonde as she slid her hands out from the surfer's hair and slowly and sensuously ran them down her neck and over her strong shoulders, until at last she brought them to a halt on her firm chest. Miley gave the blonde a seductive wink, then pushed her backwards. The singer used her mind to make the push ten times stronger. Lilly flew up in the air and landed on the couch, flat on her back. "Oof."

Lilly was slightly shocked by the push, but it just served to drive her arousal even higher. As she started to sit up, Miley quickly walked over and climbed on top of her, straddled her rock hard abs and pushing her back down on the couch. "You aren't going anywhere." she breathed, as she teasingly ran her hands up the blonde's body and coming to a halt on her breasts which the singer slowly began kneeding with her hands.

As the brunette leaned forward and prepared to capture her lover's mouth in a kiss, there was a frantic knocking on the front door immediately followed by the doorbell ringing twice.

Lilly closed her eyes tightly and groaned. "Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me." she swore at the unknown visitor.

Miley sighed and leaned down to give her girlfriend a quick kiss. "Don't. Move." she ordered and gave the surfer's nipples a hard pinch. "Be right back." she said, climbing off the blonde and heading towards the door.

Miley opened the door to reveal a rather handsome young man in a white terry clothed bathrobe. Miley lifted one eyebrow in question and just stared at the young man.

The dark haired man flashed an amazingly white, toothy grin. "Are you Miley Stewart?" he asked pleasantly.

Miley was so confused by the sight in front of her that she could only nod in response.

At the sound of an unknown male voice, Lilly sat up on the couch and looked towards the door. She blinked twice to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. Yes, it was a guy in a bathrobe. 'What the fuck?' she thought. She quickly got up and made her way to the door to stand behind Miley, her hands balled up in fists at her sides, ready to take action at a moment's notice.

"Great." the young man said, then untied his belt and whipped open the robe to reveal a message written on his muscular torso in what appeared to be red lipstick. The message read, 'If you think this looks good, wait till you see me. - Jake' And of course, he was only wearing a small pair of red bikini briefs underneath the robe.

Miley just stood there with her mouth hanging open in total disbelief at what she was seeing. Her ex-boyfriend had just sent a male stripper with a message on his chest to her house. She was torn. It was either the funniest thing he had ever done or the dumbest. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the anger forming on her girlfriend's face. Well, that cinched it, definitely the dumbest.

When Miley finally regained her faculties, she only said two words to the young man. "Go. Away." And then proceeded to slam the door in his face.

Miley slowly turned to her girlfriend and briefly hoped that the blonde saw the humor in what had just occurred. But as she saw the look of absolute hatred in Lilly's eyes, she knew that Jake had gone way too far this time. And to top it all off, he had managed to unsuspectingly ruin what was probably going to be some kick ass sex too...double whammy.

"Lilly?" the singer asked hesitantly.

Lilly turned her head and held out her hand. "Give me your damn phone." she commanded through gritted teeth, clearly seething with anger at Jake's latest 'gift'.

Miley cringed at the demand. She knew Jake had overstepped his bounds, bigtime. And the singer was certain that she wasn't going to be able to calm her lover down, no matter what she said or did. She slowly reached into the pocket of her jean shorts to retrieve her phone. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, handing the surfer her cell phone.

Lilly looked up from the phone momentarily and glared at her girlfriend. "Would you prefer I go threaten him in person?" she asked plainly.

Miley sighed. Lilly made very a good point. There was no telling what the blonde might do if she was actually face to face with the actor at this moment. "He's listed as Jerk in my contact list." she informed her girlfriend and plopped herself down in the chair near the door to watch the drama unfold.

Lilly scoffed at the new nickname. _How appropriate._ she thought. The blonde quickly highlighted the name and hit call.

Jake answered after only one ring. "Miley, thank goodness." he sighed in relief.

Lilly narrowed her eyes in anger. "Guess again Jakey." the blonde said in a scathing tone.

Jake audibly gasped, then attempted in vain to make words come out of his mouth. "Oh. Ah uh, h-hi L-Lilly."

Lilly began pacing the length of the living room. "I don't know who the _**fuck**_ you think you are Jake, but you are going to stop this shit right_** now**_." she growled at the actor.

Jake cleared his throat. "What are you talking about?" he asked with an air of cluelessness.

The actor's light airy attitude only managed to infuriate the blonde further. "Don't fucking play dumb with me." she demanded.

Jake had no idea what else to do so he stuck with playing dumb. "What'd I do?" he asked innocently.

Lilly's right hand was clenched so tightly that every knuckle was solid white. "So help me Jake. If you keep harassing Miley, you won't be dealing with the cops, you'll be dealing with _**me**_." she warned the actor. "Remember the last time I paid you a visit?" she asked with an evil grin on her face. Then lowered her voice to finish the threat. "This time it'll be you, not the statue."

Jake remembered the statue well. But Lilly wasn't that type of person...was she? "You wouldn't dare." he shot back.

"Try me asshole." she growled then snapped the phone closed.

Miley had been calmly sitting on the chair listening to the conversation and watching her girlfriend. "Feel better now?" she asked dryly, standing up from her seat.

Lilly glared at her girlfriend, knowing that she was not responsible for Jake's actions, but not thinking that she should be taking things so lightly either. The surfer tossed the phone at her then headed for the kitchen.

"Ugh." she groaned as the cell phone hit her in the chest. Miley slipped the phone back into her pocket and chased after her girlfriend. 'Why are you getting so bent out of shape over his childish antics?' she thought, as she made her way across the living room.

Lilly stopped abruptly in front of the kitchen island and turned around slowly to face her girlfriend with a look of disbelief on her face. "Childish?! Childish!? Miley he sent you a fucking stripper!" she screamed as she pointed at the front door.

Miley came to an abrupt halt next the the dining room table. She stood in shock for a moment. She hadn't said that out loud. She wasn't _that_ stupid. The singer shook her head. _No freakin way_. Did she just imagine it? "You heard that?" she asked, trying to figure out if she had really just projected her thoughts into Lilly's mind.

Lilly's anger was slightly clouding her rational thinking at this point. "What?!?" she demaned heatedly.

Miley tried again. "Me calling you childish? You heard that, right?" she asked, hoping that she was right about what had just happened.

Lilly crossed her arms over her chest and continued to glare at her girlfriend. "I'm not **deaf** Miley." she growled.

Miley felt slightly giddy. They had been trying to make this work for a while now. Clearly, the timing was rather awkward, but the brunette was excited nonetheless. '_But I didn't say it out loud._' she thought at her girlfriend.

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Yes, you did." she insisted as she turned her back on the singer and walked over to the refrigerator.

Miley couldn't wipe the grin off her face. '_No, I didn't_.' she thought.

Lilly whipped around. "Would you stop arguing with me?" the surfer demanded, almost screaming in frustration.

Miley was getting aggitated with the blonde's inability to see what was happening between them. The singer sighed and walked forward and slammed the blonde against the refrigerator then grabbed the blonde's head with both hands and slammed their mouths together. '_Crazy flower_ s_till think I'm talking with my mouth?_' she thought. And then after a few more seconds, pulled back from the kiss.

Lilly's eyes had gone wide during their kiss. She couldn't believe Miley had finally figured it out. '_Are you saying we can have entire conversations in our minds now?_' she thought.

Miley bit her bottom lip. _'I think so_.' she thought.

'_Kick ass_.' she thought then reached forward and picked Miley up in a big hug in celebration.

Miley laughed at the drastic change in Lilly's mood. '_Glad to know you approve_.' she thought.

Lilly set the brunette back down and kissed her gently. As she pulled back, she locked eyes with the singer. "_I still expect to hear your beautiful voice now and then._" she said.

Miley chuckled, despite the fact that she was almost certain the blonde was being entirely serious. "So, does that mean Lola's considering coming to rehearsal today?" she asked flirtatiously.

Lilly tipped her head and squinted in deep thought. She hadn't originally planned on going with her girlfriend to rehearsal, but maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea afterall. "I think she'd like that." she replied with a nod of her head.

Miley glanced over at the clock. Jake's little surprise had cost the couple their playtime. Damnit. "Then Hannah and Lola better get their asses in gear, otherwise they're going to be late." she said grabbing her girlfriend's hand and dragging her towards the stairs.

**************

"Shop." A male voice answered.

Jake nervously played with fingers. "It's Jake. I got a phone call from Miley." he began. "Well, her girlfriend actually..." he amended.

The voice on the other end of the line was all business. "What did she say?" he questioned.

Jake closed his eyes remembering the sound of Lilly's voice. "Stop harassing my girlfriend or else...then something along the lines of physical violence against my person." he said uncomfortably, rubbing his hand over his neck as he remembered being held in a choke hold high in the air by the incredibly strong blonde.

There was a brief pause. "Send her text messages non stop." the man instructed.

Jake was slightly releived that he wasn't told to send any more gifts. Obviously, the stripper was a little over the top. "What should they say?" he asked.

"How much you want to be with her." he stated.

Jake's eyes went wide. These people had no idea what they were asking him to do. "You want me to piss off her girlfriend even MORE?" he demanded in a slightly panicked tone.

The man chuckled at the boy's disbelief. "Exactly." he replied.

**

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**

**Wow, Jake is willing to go to any lengths...to save his own ass...but who should he be more afraid of? Lilly or the Shop? LoL. Even I can't wait to see what he does next. Okay, next chapter we finally get ready to head to Vegas. Love to read your comments and thoughts. Peace and Love. - Jess**


	10. Ch 9 Fly Away

**I wanna throw this out there right now...I HATE this chapter. It's a transitional chapter that I simply felt I had to throw in there because there was just too many little things that I didn't want to just glaze over...and its mostly about the bad guys, which I hate writing. Heh, so that being said, I apologize for exposition now...but I did manage to sneak a sweet little interlude in the middle. ;)**

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**Chapter 9 - Fly Away**

**Malibu, California; June 5th, 2009**

Mr. Adams reached across the seat and slapped his partner's chest repeatedly. "Wake up!" he demanded.

Mr. Brown shook himself awake and tried to focus his heavy eyes. "What's going on?" he asked in a daze.

Mr. Adams pointed at the Maroon Chevy Tahoe parked in the driveway of the Stewart's house. "They're going somewhere!" he informed his partner, as they watched Robbie Ray Stewart carry out several suitcases and put them in the back hatch.

"Fuck!" Mr. Brown swore. They had been watching the Stewart's house for the past few days. Their target had only left the house a few times, usually only to go down to the beach with her girlfriend.

Mr. Adams shouted an order as he continued watching the driveway through his binoculars. "Run a records check." he said. "Now." he added forcefully.

Mr. Brown grabbed the laptop at his feet and quickly started to access classified travel information. After a minute, he shook his head at his partner. "There's no travel reservations with their names attached, Stewart or Truscott." he informed the smaller man. He looked up to see Robbie Ray carry out two more suitcases. "Maybe they're driving." he offered as an alternative.

Mr. Adams shook his head. "That would be one uncomfortable drive. Have you counted how many suitcases that have already been put in the car?" he turned his head to ask his partner.

Mr. Brown just shook his head. He had been too focused on trying to find information on the computer.

"Eight." he informed his partner. "And it doesn't look like he's done yet."

Mr. Brown shrugged his shoulders. "Well, we'll just follow them then." he said, not seeing how they had any other options at this point.

***************

The living room of the Stewart household was alive with movement. Everyone was going over lists and making last minute checks to ensure that they had everything they would need for their six days in Vegas.

Robbie Ray had taken out the last of the large suitcases and came back in to see if the kids had finished with their carry on luggage. "We got everything?" he called out to the three teenagers.

Jackson nodded and he swung his backpack over his shoulder.

Miley and Lilly looked at each other and shrugged helplessly. "I think so." Miley told her father. It was hard packing for four people when their was only actually two of you. It made you second guess yourself a lot, cause you felt like you had already packed that item.

Robbie Ray was happy that they were finally ready to go, but was sad to see this moment come at the same time. He stepped towards Heather to wrap his arms around the smaller blonde and hug her tightly against his chest. After a few seconds, he pulled back from the embrace. "Are you sure you're going to be alright by yourself till we get back?" he asked, desperately wanting her to change her mind and come with them. He didn't like the idea of her being here alone for almost a week.

Heather smirked as she held her hand up in front of his chest and made her hand burst into flame. She playfully winked at him, trying to ease his troubled mind. "I think I'll manage." she said, closing her hand and snuffing out the flame. Then she leaned in to give him one last long kiss.

The kids all enjoyed knowing that their parents were in love, but they could only stand watching it for so long. After about a minute, Jackson couldn't hold his tongue any longer. "Get a room will ya?" he said as he approached the older couple.

Heather laughed and finally pulled away from Robbie.

Jackson quickly took his place and wrapped his arms around the older blonde. "Bye mom." he said lovingly.

Heather felt her eyes water. The five of them truly were becoming a family in every sense of the word. She leaned close to Jackson's ear and gave him very strict instructions. "Jackson, you stay close to those girls and take care of each other, you here me?" she told him.

Jackson pulled back and smiled happily. "Yes ma'am." he said with a nod.

Heather leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "I love you." she quietly whispered.

Jackson tighened his grip on his backpack and reached down to pick up one of the last remaining bags in the foyer. "Love you too." he answered back.

Robbie Ray clapped his son on the shoulder. "Come on Junior. Let's get this last load out to the car." he told his son, knowing that for Heather, saying goodbye to the girls was probably going to be a lot harder than saying it to the two of them.

Jackson nodded and the two men headed out to the car.

After Heather watched the boys walk out the door, she turned to see her girls looking sad and forlorn. She held out her arms. "Come here." she said softly.

Both girls rushed over to take up residence under one of her arms.

Heather pulled the girls close and shut her eyes as the possibility struck her that if something happened, this might be the last time she ever saw either one of them. Then she mentally chastised herself for even allowing such a thought like that into her head.

Heather loosened her arms and pulled back to look at the girls' faces. "You promise me...that you will be safe and smart. Don't take any unnecessary chances." she instructed them.

Lilly and Miley both nodded. The surfer verbally responded as well. "We won't."

"And you make sure that you take care of our boys." she added.

This time it was Miley that spoke up. "We will." She would never allow harm to come to her father or brother if she could help it.

Heather leaned back in for another hug. "I wish I was going with you." she sighed, once again regretting that she didn't just walk out on her job.

Miley spoke from her comfortable spot on the older blonde's right shoulder. "We'll be back for the LA concerts in less than a week." she reminded Heather.

Heather smiled lightly at the brunette's reassurances. "Someday when you're a mother you'll understand. It's never easy to let your children leave you." she said then leaned down to kiss Miley's cheek. "I love you Miley." she whispered into the young singer's ear.

Miley returned the kiss on Heather's opposite cheek. "Love you too mom." she said, letting go of the blonde, knowing that she would want a private moment with her daughter. "I'll be waiting in the car." she told the surfer and gave her arm a gentle squeeze as she headed for the door.

Heather turned to look at her only daughter with a threatening glare. "You trust NO ONE." she commanded. "Anyone outside of the family is considered a possible threat. Do you understand me?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

Lilly was slightly shocked to see her mother's ferociousness. The surfer locked eyes with her mother and nodded repeatedly. "Yes ma'am."

A small part of Heather felt like she was asking too much of her daughter, but then she remembered just how powerful the young girl truly was. Heather knew she had raised her daughter with strong values and a good moral fiber. But she wanted to make sure that Lilly understood that family came first. No matter what. "And you will do whatever it takes to protect our family, above all else. Are we clear?"

Lilly inhaled sharply. Her mother didn't believe in violence, but she had pretty much just told Lilly if she had to…Woah. The surfer thought. "Yes, Ma'am." she said acknowledging the order.

Heather saw the recognition in her daughter's eyes. She knew that her daughter understood exactly what she had meant. The older blonde wrapped her arms around her little girl and squeezed as hard as she could. "I love you angel." she whispered in her hair.

"I love you too mom." the younger blonde solemnly answered back.

Heather pulled back as a tear ran down her face. "Alright, now get going, and try to take it easy on the shopping while you're there." she said, pushing her daughter towards the door.

"We'll try…" Lilly said as she reached down to grab her carry on. Then turned around and gave her mother a wink. "But I make noooooo promises."

Heather playfully swatted her daughter's butt as she walked out the front door.

Heather watched as her family climbed in the car with a sense of dread. Something horrible was going to happen. She could just feel it.

***************

Mr. Adams watched through his binoculars as the Stewarts entered their vehicle. "The three kids are in the car and the old man is driving." he reported to his partner.

Mr. Brown looked up from the laptop. "What about the mother?" he inquired.

"Standing on the porch. Waving." he stated.

Mr. Brown considered this carefully. "Think they're leaving her behind?" he asked.

Mr. Adams shrugged. "Quite possibly. We'll find out." he replied, tossing his binoculars into the back seat and starting the car, preparing to follow the Tahoe.

After about twenty minutes of driving, the Tahoe pulled into a high security parking garage. The outside had a high wall with barbed wire fencing at the top. The Tahoe pulled up to the small booth and the driver spoke with the guard at the gate. After a few seconds, the arm of the automated gate lifted and the Tahoe drove inside the garage.

The agents parked about a block away from the entrance to discuss their options. Mr. Adams turned to his partner. "Private garage. Now what?" he asked, looking for ideas.

Mr. Brown shrugged. The only options he could come up with would garner way too much attention to them, but he voiced them anyway. "We could kill the guard to get in." he offered.

Mr. Adams shook his head. "Private garage, way too many security cameras." he pointed out.

Mr. Brown rubbed his chin as he considered the situation. "Think it has more than one exit?" he asked.

Mr. Adams nodded at the suggestion. "Let's drive around and find out." he said as he pulled out and proceeded to circle around the parking structure.

***************

Robbie Ray and Jackson had finished helping the limo driver pack their luggage. He walked around to get his personal items from the driver's seat. He looked over the seat to see the country's hottest rock star and her best friend in the back seat. The girls had changed into their alter egos once they got inside the garage. "You girls all set?" he asked.

Miley took one last look in her hand mirror to make sure her wig was straight. "Yeah dad, Hannah and Lola can make a brief appearance." she answered. As Lilly nodded her head in agreement.

Robbie Ray smiled at his girls and gave them a thumbs up. "Alright, let's do this." he said climbing back out of driver's door. He waited as Hannah Montana and Lola Luftnagle got out of the back seat of the Tahoe and climbed into the first limousine in the line of three, before climbing in after them.

***************

After driving around the garage, which was actually covered several blocks, Adams found an underground exit to the garage two streets over and was patiently waiting to see if any vehicles would exit soon. He smiled briefly as he saw the rolling gate start to move.

He saw the first limo and was prepared to follow it, until he caught sight of the second limo. Then he noticed the third and groaned loudly. He had no way of knowing which one they might be in.

He looked over at his partner. "Great, three limos. Which one?" he asked, looking at his partner for advice.

Mr. Brown shrugged helplessly. They were all identical and had each driven in a different direction. "Pick one." he said.

They decided to follow the last limo which took a right after exiting the parking garage. Unfortunately for the agents, the Hannah limo was the first one out of the garage and it had gone left.

After thirty minutes of driving around LA, the limo that the agents had followed returned to the garage. Mr. Adams pulled off to the side of the road and groaned in frustration.

Mr. Brown was equally unhappy with the situation as he stared at the garage. "I think we've been had." he pointed out.

Mr. Adams glared at his partner. "Ya think?" he sneered as he slammed his hands down on the steering wheel. "FUCK." he growled.

"Now what?" Mr. Brown asked.

Mr. Adams sighed. They didn't know where the other limos had gone and they couldn't find any information about their travel reservations. He looked to his partner. "What are our options at this point?" he asked dejectedly.

Mr. Brown tried to think strategically. "Who else knows the kids?"

"The boy's girlfriend might know where they went." Mr. Adams said. "Or the girl's best friend, Oliver."

Mr. Brown considered what his partner was suggesting. "If we go with either of those, too much of a chance of tipping off the target." he said. "And we aren't suppose to have any direct contact with anyone until further notice." he pointed out, and slowly rubbed his temple. "We need someone removed from the situation." he said.

Mr. Adams sat up as he was struck with an idea. "What about that kid down at the beach." he asked. "He seemed to know both of the Stewart kids and he even knew the target."

Mr. Brown tried to think back to their operation at the beach. "The one that owns the concession stand?" he clarified.

Mr. Adams nodded his head. "Yeah."

Mr. Brown shrugged helplessly. It wasn't like he had an better ideas. "It's worth a try." he told his partner.

***************

The Hannah limo pulled inside a private hanger at LAX. As the limo came to a stop, Robbie Ray was the first person to get out of the limousine.

Robbie breathed a sigh of relief to see a familiar face and knew that the hanger was safe. He walked over and gave the small woman a brief hug. "Hey Roxy." he greeted kindly. After he pulled back, he caught her eye. "Everything go okay?" he asked, knowing that she would know what he was talking about.

Roxy waved her hand in dismissal at older man. "Safely tucked away where no one is going to find him." she said assuredly. "In Nebraska." she said with a sly grin.

Robbie Ray chuckled slightly. He hoped John Truscott was miserable there. Safe, but miserable. He stepped back over to the limo and gave the teens the all clear signal, slapping the the roof three times. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. Kids, haul it on up to the plane." he hollered into the back of the limo.

The teenagers exited the back of the limo and quickly made their way up the steps and onto the private jet. They exchanged a few pleasantries with the flight crew and then quickly made their way into the private passenger area of the plane.

Hannah and Lola took seats on the leather couch and Jackson sat in one of the overstuffed cabin chairs. He looked at his sisters and noticed them being very, clingy. He sighed. The blonde boy knew he was going to get stuck with his father for the duration of the flight. He was willing to bet that the girls would make their way back to the private sleeping area of the plane any minute.

Hannah finally tore her eyes away from Lola to look over at Jackson. "Would you be cool with us taking the back cabin?" she shyly asked her brother.

_Wow, that might have been a new record_, Jackson thought. The older boy grinned at how well he knew his sisters. "Can you two do me one favor first?" he asked.

Hannah nodded, waiting for his request.

"Make sure you turn the stereo up loud." he deadpanned.

Both girls bust out laughing, then stood up. "You're the best Jackson." Lola told him and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze as they made their way past him towards the back of the plane.

Hannah opened the door to the back cabin and immediately went over to turn on the stereo.

Lola closed and locked the door. She walked over behind the pop star and gently placed her hands on her hips, flexing her fingers ever so slightly. "It's been a while rock star." she breathed into the singer's ear. Hannah hadn't really had any concerts or even attended any public events since the end of April.

Hannah looked over her shoulder and gave her girlfriend a seductive glare. "Remember Lola, you're in _**my**_ world now." she said with a hint of mischief in her voice.

Lola smirked, then nodded. "You da boss." she agreed.

It was amazing the change that would come over Miley when she put that wig on. Hannah Montana truly was a separate person from Miley Stewart. Hannah was all about passion, presence, and confidence. Miley on the other hand, was all devotion, reservation, and kindness. The most amazing thing was when the two sides blended together for the perfect balance, that was when Miley was truly irresistable on every level, regardless of whether she was Hannah or Miley at the time. It truly was the best of both worlds. And both were loved equally by Lola and Lilly.

Lola slid her hand under the bottom of the singer's top and slowly rubbed circles on the firm stomach. "And what would you like Lola to do for you Hannah?" she asked, the desire clearly evident in her voice.

Hannah roughly grasped the hand that was on her stomach and thrust it beneath the waistband of her panties towards her aching center. "I want you to rock my world." she commanded, pushing her hips into her lover's hand.

Lola sighed at the warm wetness she felt beneath her fingertips. "It would be my pleasure." Lola purred, more than happy to fulfill the rock star's wish.

***************

Mr. Adams walked up to Rico's and waited until the small boy turned around from cleaning the back counter. "You're Rico right?" he asked. The boy nodded briefly at the question. "You remember me?" he questioned.

Rico eyed the older man carefully, then it dawned on him. "Hey yeah, you gave me a great tip." he said with a large smile on his face.

Mr. Adams chuckled slightly. Greedy little punk. He looked around to see if anyone was paying any attention to them, then he leaned forward over the counter towards Rico. "Want to earn an even bigger tip?" he asked slyly.

Rico eyed the man suspiciously. "What do I have to do?" he asked carefully.

Mr. Adams reached back into his pocket to took out his wallet. "You know Miley's brother Jackson?" he asked.

Rico rolled his eyes at the question. "He used to work for me. Of course I know him." he commented sarcastically.

Mr. Adams' smiled, enough though he wanted to reach across the counter and slap the shit out of the annoying little punk in front of him. "Where'd he go?" he said, opening his wallet.

Rico glared at the older man. "What's it to you?" he demanded.

Mr. Adams pulled out a bill with Ulysses S. Grant on the front. "Fifty bucks." he said, holding up the bill for the smaller boy's inspection.

Rico reached out and snatched the bill out of the older man's hands before he could pull it away. "He went with his family to Vegas, but I'm the one that just hit the jackpot." he said, his eyes wide, staring at the money in his hands.

Mr. Adams closed his wallet and put it back in his pocket. "Thanks kid. You've been extremely helpful." he said slapping the counter, then turned and walked away.

Rico was still smiling like a little kid on Christmas morning. "Come back anytime." he called out to the older man.

Mr. Adams slowly made his way back to the parking lot and got back into the car on the driver's side.

Mr. Brown looked up from his laptop as his partner closed his door. "Well?"

Mr. Adams grinned. "The kid says they're going to Vegas." he said proudly.

Mr. Brown looked back at his computer. "But I checked all the flights." he argued.

Mr. Adams nodded his head. "All the commercial flights. You didn't check the private charters." he pointed out.

Mr. Brown groaned. "You know you got spend big money for that info." he pointed out, then sighed loudly. "Do we trust the kid?" he finally asked.

Mr. Adams rolled his eyes. "The kid's a greedy idiot. I don't think he'd lie about it." he replied honestly.

Mr. Brown nodded. "Try calling the boss?" he suggested, now that they at least had some decent info to relay.

Mr. Adams nodded his head and pulled out his cell phone. "I think we better." he said as he selected a number and pressed send.

Colonel Lance Maverick was working on his computer when his office phone rang. He hit the speaker button. "Maverick." he shouted gruffly, not in the best of moods.

Mr. Adams cleared his throat then began speaking. "This is Adams calling in with an update on the Truscott case."

Maverick stopped what he was doing and sat back in his chair. "Report." he called out.

"The target left for parts unknown with the girlfriend, her brother and her father." Adams reported.

The Colonel rolled his eyes. How did these people keep managing these disappearing acts? Then he realized that Agent Adams had not named everyone in the immediate household. "The mother?" he inquired.

"Apparently, she did not go with them." Adams answered.

Maverick sighed. Well, at least that could possibly turn into an opportunity. "And we don't know where they are because?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"Got on a private jet, we believe to be bound for Vegas." Adams responded.

Maverick was confused now. Believe? What the fuck does that mean? How do you go from parts unknown to believe? He wondered. "This information?" he demanded.

"Courtesy of the brother's ex-employer." Mr. Adams supplied smoothly.

Maverick picked up a pen and wrote some notes. "I'll get the records. Vegas is a too big a town to search for ghosts." he pointed out.

"Understood. Do you wish us to prepare to head for Vegas on your orders or remain here?" Mr. Adams asked.

The Colonel thought about the question for a moment before selecting the wisest course of action. Clearly the two agents directly working this case were having quite a bit of difficulty. Maybe it was time to bring more men on board. "I want you two to stay where you are since you're already familiar with the local situation." he explained. "I'll send my Vegas experts out to look for the target there."

"Yes sir." Mr. Adams replied.

"Out." Maverick said and turned off the speak phone.

Mr. brown was staring at his partner expectantly. "Well?" he asked after watching the phone being closed.

"We're to stay here and monitor the old lady." he said sadly.

Mr. Brown rolled his eyes. He was getting sick and tired of sitting in the car all day. "Mother Fucker." he swore.

***************

Colonel Maverick reached out and pressed the intercom button on his phone. "Send Jones and Hill to my office immediately." he barked into the receiver.

Two minutes later, the door to his office opened to revel two men, one bald and one blonde. They walked up to the desk and saluted.

Maverick nodded at the men and gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. "Gentlemen. I have a job for you." he began, pulling out a file and setting on the desk in front of them. "I'm going to give this assignment to you gentlemen because of your indirect affiliation with the case via Jake Ryan." he explained. He pulled out a picture and showed it to his men. "This is Lilly Truscott and her girlfriend Miley Stewart. They just got on a private jet chartered to Las Vegas, Nevada with the girlfriend's brother and father; Jackson and Robbie Ray Stewart." he said and he sat back in his chair. "I need you to find them for me." he instructed.

Agent Grant looked up from the picture. "Is this a recovery mission?" he inquired.

Maverick considered the question. This case still had to many unknowns. They needed more intel. "No. I want to know what they're doing there first." he said and then quickly dismissed the men.

* * *

**Ok, so thank god that is out of the way...time to go to Vegas baby. Thank God I get to write some entertaining chapters now. Love to read thoughts and comments. Peace and Love - Jess**


	11. Ch 10 Waking Up in Vegas

**Chapter 10 - Waking Up in Vegas **

**Las Vegas, Nevada; June 8, 2009**

Opening night of the _Breakout Tour_ had been absolutely fantastic. The stage looked awesome. The lighting was perfect. The dancers were on point. The band sounded incredible. And most importantly, Hannah Montana was on fire. The singing, the choreography, the effects...everything came together to give the audience the most amazing musical experience. And best of all, the critics and reviewers all agreed. A reviewer from Rolling Stone Magazine went as far to write in his column, "If you don't go see this young girl in concert, you are missing out on an event of epic poportions."

The concert was broken into 2 basic sets and then of course encores. The first set was most of her new album. She opened the show with _Breakout_, then did _Fly on the Wall, Let's Dance, Start All Over, GNO, The Driveway, Full Circle_ and _Bottom of the Ocean_. At this point, there was a break in the show. This was where her dancers did an awesome number to a Drew Seely song called _Dance With Me _to give Hannah about a 10 minute break. The second set consisted of _Rock Star, Nobody's Perfect, If We Were a Movie, One in a Million, See You Again_, and _You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home_. After about a five minute break, she went back out and sang _Goodbye_. Then after another brief interlude, she went back out and sang _The Best of Both Worlds_ & _Seven Things _as her final encores.

The second night went almost as well as opening night, with one small exception. Hannah was late coming back out to do _Goodbye_. Hannah was amped up after doing _You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home_ and as she got into her dressing room, there was just something about the form fitting babydoll rocker t-shirt Lola was wearing that showed off every cut and groove, that drove the singer wild with need. The blonde locked the dressing room door and then pounced on her girlfriend. The singer forced Lola onto the sofa and continued to ravage her for several minutes and managed to lose all track of time. When neither girl would answer their cell phones, or respond to security knocking on the door, Robbie Ray gave Jackson the key to the dressing room and told him to go interupt them. The poor boy had to go down to the dressing room and literally pull them apart and remind his sister that she still had a concert to finish.

The crowd had to scream for an extra few minutes. Oops.

Now it was Monday night. This was the third straight concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Hannah had one more concert to do here tomorrow night and then it was back to California on Wednesday to get ready for the next show in Los Angeles on Friday night. So far, everything had gone smoothly. They hadn't had any run ins with anyone from the Shop and Jake Ryan had stopped playing games. Granted, he was still texting Miley constantly, but that was easy enough to ignore.

Lola stood on the right side of the stage watching as Hannah started her last encore, when her attention was drawn to a young man sneaking in and out between the heavy curtains on the side of the stage.

Lola wrestled with what she should do. She really wanted to know who the young man was and why he was trying so hard to stay hidden from view. On the other hand, Hannah was singing _Seven Things _and would be looking over towards Lola at the end of every chorus. If she wasn't there, Hannah might flip. Lola shrugged helplessly. It was times like these when Miley's mind reading abilities were far more practical than Lilly's more physical ones. She couldn't just ignore a possible threat. Lola sighed, her decision made. Hopefully, a freaked out pop star wouldn't be running off stage in the next two minutes.

Lola made her way towards the young man and grabbed the boy's upper left arm. "Hi. You're new." she said in a cheerful tone. "Haven't seen you around back stage before." she said, trying to make small talk with the young man.

The dark haired young man stared at the purple haired girl with eyes wide open. This was probably partially because he knew he was standing face to face with Hannah Montana's best friend but even more so becuase his upper arm was starting to throb in pain from her vice like grip on his bicep. "Hey there Lola." he said with a slight grimace.

"Did you misplace your backstage pass?" she asked with a smile, holding up hers to show the young man. "You know you should have it on at all times." she warned the young man. "Someone might get the wrong idea and think you don't belong back here." she added, giving the boy one last chance to produce a backstage pass.

Unfortunately, the boy's face whitened considerably at Lola's last statement. And the young man desperately racked his brain for any excuse to give the girl for his missing pass. "Um, well you see…" he began, then ran out of words quickly.

Lola rolled her eyes. She decided that he was way too freaked out right now to be some evil top secret agent. Clearly, he had to be some love struck Fannah boy. Lola sighed. "Did you really think this was the best way to meet her?" she asked, tipping her head in question.

Now the boy started to panic. "Ah, well I..." It was quite obvious that he had been busted. The young man decided that his best option was to try and make a break for it. He took two steps, then he realized that his left arm wasn't coming with him. The boys legs went out from under him and he fell to the ground, landing painfully on his back.

Lola released the boy's arm when he went air born and then knelt down next to his prone body. The poor boy was currently wheezing, desperately trying to get air back into his burning lungs. The surfer put a hand on his shoulder, effectively pinning him to the floor to make sure he made no further attempts to escape.

Everyone on the stage crew knew Lola Luftnagle. And Hannah had made it very clear to her entire staff that Lola was to be treated with total respect. Fortunately, Lola was so wonderful to the whole staff that they absolutely no qualms about following Hannah's orders.

Lola looked around the backstage area and called to the closest security guard. "CHARLIE!!" she screamed to get the older man's attention.

Charlie looked up from his post outside of Hannah's dressing room. As soon as he saw Lola kneeling next to a young man, he immediately radioed for assistance.

Hannah made very few demands of her staff as a whole, but she had made it very clear to her security staff that her entourage's safety was to be their number one priority if they weren't directly engaged with protecting the singer herself.

Since Hannah was still on stage singing, Charlie rushed away from the dressing room door and over to the purple haired girl. "Lola, are you alright?" he asked, setting a hand on her shoulder.

Lola smiled as she stood up. "Oh, I'm fine. But I think our back stage stalker here needs some oxygen though." she said, thumbing towards the poor unfortunate boy still laying on the floor, gasping for air.

Suddenly, two more men in yellow security jackets appeared on the scene. They quickly bent down and turned the boy over to face the ground and placed his wrists in handcuffs.

Charlie figured that he would be required to write up the incident report since he was the first responder on the scene. He thought it best to get a statement from Lola. "How did he end up on the ground?" the large guard asked the smaller girl.

Lola shrugged. "Well, I grabbed his arm after he tried to run away from me when I asked him where his pass was." she explained. "Next thing I knew, he was on the ground."

Charlie crossed his arms over his broad chest. "You just grabbed his arm, and he fell on his back?" The heavy set guard eyed the smaller girl carefully. "Really?" he asked, clearly not believing her.

Lola racked her brain for the most normal way to convince the guard that she was being honest. Finally, she sighed and pulled up her shirt sleeve and flexed an impressively large bicep for the man. "Yes, really." she answered, then glared at the guard. The look screamed 'try me'. "Would you like me to demonstarte?" she added dryly.

Charlie's eyes widened at the display in front of him. This was Charlie's second year doing security for Hannah Montana. He had been in Lola's presence on several different occasions. She was always sweet and friendly to everyone backstage. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought her capable of being violent with someone. However, the sight in front of him made him reconsider that assessment.

Lola was certainly not the type of woman he would _ever_ consider messing with, that's for sure.

Charlie shook his head. He had no doubt that the young girl in front of him was quite capable of doing exactly what she had just described. "Alright then. We'll take care of it. Sorry to have let him bother you." he said.

Lola dropped her arm and once again flashed the security guard a big friendly smile. "Not a problem Charlie. Thank you so much for your help." she said.

As _Seven Things _came to an end, the arena exploded in thunderous applause. Hannah thanked the crowd and said goodnight to them. The pop star then quickly exited the stage as fast as her four inch heels would carry her. The blonde knew Lola had disappeared from the singer's view, and that was something Lola NEVER did during the last songs of a show. She _always_ watched the encores. Unless there was some previous engagement setup for after the show, like a signing or an interview, then Lola might have been entertaining guests in the dressing room, but Hannah _always_ knew about it beforehand.

As Hannah pulled back the curtain, she desperately searched the back stage area for any sign of her girlfriend. When she finally saw a head of purple hair in the middle of a circle of security guards, her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach.

Hannah began to make her way towards the gathered crowd. _Baby?!_ _What happened? Are you alright? _She thought to her girlfriend. As she quickly closed the distance between them. "Lola!" she shouted.

Lola heard the questions in her head, then heard the singer calling her name. The purple haired girl looked away from Charlie with a soft smile to see a freaked out rock star heading her way. _Everything's fine. I promise. Relax. _She thought back, as she slipped between the security guards to make her way towards her girlfriend.

Hannah launched herself into the purple haired girl's arms. _Don't scare me like that. _She mentally chastised her girlfriend.

Lola hugged her girlfriend tightly. "Great show Hannah." she said loudly, trying to cover the singer's slightly unusual post concert antics. _I'll explain in your dressing room._ She answered in her mind.

Hannah sighed in relief. It felt so good to be in Lola's arms, but she couldn't stay in this position for too long while they were still in the backstage area. "Thanks Lola." the singer said as she pulled out of the hug. The singer linked their arms together and dragged the surfer towards her dressing room.

As soon as the dressing room door was closed and locked, Hannah took Lola's face into her hands and stared intently at her girlfriend. "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, her voice still laced with concern for her girlfriend's well-being.

Lola reached up and put one hand on Hannah's cheek and leaned forward to give the singer a gentle kiss. "Baby I'm fine." she reassured the singer, gently turning her head to kiss each of the hands on her face. "It was some love struck teenager that must have known a member of the staff. He thought he could get backstage to meet you." she explained, gently stroking her thumb over the singer's cheek. "That's all it was, okay?"

Hannah sighed in relief at her girlfriend's explanation and closed her eyes. "Why didn't you just let security handle it then?" she asked before opening them again.

Lola shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I kinda noticed him first." she admitted.

Hannah threw her hands up in the air and turned away from her girlfriend in frustration. "Then why didn't you_ tell_ security?" she shot back as she turned back around. "That's what we pay them for!" she screamed in frustration.

Lola gestured towards the direction they had just come from. "I did." she insisted. "Did you not notice all the yellow security jackets surrounding me?" she demanded.

Hannah took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds. What the hell were they arguing about? The singer was frustrated with Lola for being her protective self. The singer blew out her breath and shook her head. _Why am I over reacting like this? _The singer thought. _Cause I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to her while I was on stage singing._ Hannah walked forward and placed her hands on the surfer's hips. "I'm sorry. I just got scared." she said quietly, unable to look the surfer in the eye.

Lola reached down and pulled up the singer's chin, until she could see her blue eyes. "It's not my fault your the mind reader in the family." she reminded the singer with a chuckle.

Hannah shook her head and laughed lightly along with her girlfriend. "What am I going to do with you?" she sighed lovingly.

Lola shrugged her shoulders and playfully rolled her hips against the singer's groin. "Hmm, how about you have your way with me?" she replied with a hint of teasing in her voice.

Hannah narrowed her eyes at the purple haired girl. "Is that a request?" she shot back.

Lola nodded. "Definitely number one on my Hannah Montana request list." the surfer purred, as they were suddenly startled apart by Hannah's dressing room phone ringing.

After the events of the previous night, Robbie Ray demanded that a landline telephone be put in Hannah's dressing room. One that had a VERY LOUD ringer.

Hannah pulled away from her girlfriend and walked over to the vanity table to answer the annoying object. "Yes?" she said, slightly irritated at having been interrupted.

After Jackson had to walk in on them making out last night, Robbie decided he would take precautionary measures to avoid a similar fate for himself. "Hey Bud. Great show tonight. Jackson and I are coming down from the sound booth. We'll be at your dressing room in a minute." he informed his little girl.

The sound booth was actually up near the private boxes and was encased in bulletproof glass. It was decided that the booth was the safest spot for Jackson and Robbie to be while Miley was on stage. Lilly refused to give up her place on the side of the stage, but then again, she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

"Okay daddy." she replied, then hung up the phone and turned back to her girlfriend. "Guys are on their way." she sighed and walked back over and wrapped her girlfriend in a hug.

Lola groaned as she ran her hands up and down the singer's back. "Does this mean that Hannah won't be taking any requests tonight?" she whined as she huffed in frustration.

The blonde singer pulled back from the hug and stared into the surfer's eyes. "Hannah's not, but I bet Miley will be." she answered slyly.

Lola tipped her head to the side and considered that statement for a moment. With a twinkle in her eye, she finally responded to the singer. "Lola thinks Lilly might just like that idea." after responding, the surfer leaned in for one last brief kiss.

Hannah pulled away then dragged her girlfriend towards the dressing room door. "Alright. Let's get upstairs. I am dying to get out of this wig anyway." she said, as she opened the door.

Lola reached up and gave her own itchy head a scratch. Yeah, she wouldn't mind getting rid of her wig either. "Sounds good." she agreed, then added, "Besides, I think we've had more than enough drama for one night." she pointed out as they met up with the guys and headed towards the elevators.

****************

As they exited their private elevator, they came to a 'T' in the hallway. Robbie Ray started walking straight ahead until Hannah reached out and grabbed his shirt sleeve. "Yo cowboy, turn that wagon train around, the room's over here." she said and then proceeded walking down the hallway on the right.

Lola shook her head at the singer. "No it's not. It's over here." the purple haired girl said, and then began walking down the hallway on the left.

Robbie Ray turned his head each way to look at his girls. _Thank God someone was smart enough to invent GPS_. He thought. Then he looked back at his son and shrugged his shoulders. "Every night the same old thing." he commented, and the two men continued walking straight ahead towards their room.

Jackson stepped in front of his dad and put a hand on his chest, bringing him to stop. "First one back gets their chocolates." he said, then turned around and took off down the hall in a sprint.

Robbie Ray took off after his son, laughing the entire way. "Cheater." he screamed after the smaller boy.

Once the girls had both determined that they had chosen the wrong hallway…again, they met back up in front of the elevator. Hannah crossed her arms and glared down the hall as she watched as the two racing men reached the door to their hotel suite. "I hate it when he's right." she sneered.

Lola turned away from the racing twosome to regard her girlfriend. "And one of them is going to steal our pillow chocolates _again_." she pointed out. One of the guys had stolen the chocolates every night this week, telling the girls that the little treats were first come, first serve.

"Damn." They said simultaneously, then began stomping down the hallway after the boys.

As they were halfway down the hall, Hannah noticed a young woman standing near a room service cart on the right side of the hallway. After a second glance, she realized it was someone she knew. She threw her hand on Lola's arm to bring her to an abrupt halt. "Traci?" she questioned.

Traci stepped away from the cart and approached the rock star. "Hannah what a wonderful surprise." she said, gushing all over Hannah like she always did. Then she noticed the singer's other constant companion was with her. "and Lola…" she said, but could find absolutely nothing about the other girl's presence that excited her. Thus she turned her attention back to the blonde singer. "Hannah what a wonderful surprise." she said once again.

Hannah rolled her eyes, knowing that Traci's greeting was going to rub her girlfriend the wrong way. "What are you doing here?" Hannah asked.

Lola was still fuming at the snobby girl's greeting. Traci and Lola had never gotten along since the day they met, but Hannah seemed to think the rich girl was a good person. She did do a lot of charity work, but that still didn't make the snob a good person in Lola's book. The purple haired girl glared at the socialite. "Let me guess." she said taking a step closer and leaning towards the older girl. "Auditioning for cirque de so lame?" she quipped.

Hannah rolled her eyes and pulled her girlfriend back behind her. "Stop it." she ordered, then considered what the shorter girl had said…then amended her statement. "Funny, but…stop it." she said, causing Lola to sneer at Traci in silent victory.

Hannah turned back around and gave the socialite a questioning look. "So, why didn't you tell me you were gonna be in Vegas?" she asked. Normally, if Traci was in the vicinity of a Hannah concert, she always made an appearance.

Traci got a shocked look on her face at the singer's question and held a hand to her chest as she gasped. "I didn't tell anybody. I can't! It's a secret! If your a friend you'll respect that, ok?" she told the blonde singer.

It had been a long day and Hannah really wasn't in the mood for Traci's theatrics. The singer decided that if she wanted to walk away, now was the best time. "Ok bye." she said with a shrug of her shoulders and a brief wave.

Before Hannah could take three steps away, Traci immediately jump in front of her to block her path. "Fine! If your going to keep hounding me about, I'll tell you." she sighed dramatically. Then looked from side to side to see if anyone was around and then thrust her left hand into Hannah's line of sight. On her ring finger sat a huge 2 caret princess cut diamond engagement ring. "I'm getting married tomorrow!" she screeched in happiness.

Hannah's eyes were wide at the thoughts of her friend who hadn't been dating anyone for several months to all of the sudden be getting married. "What?" The singer demanded with wide eyes, shock clearly evident on her face.

Lola was equally shocked by Traci's announcement, but for a slightly different reason. She couldn't imagine who would willing tie themselves down to the snobby girl for the rest of their lives. The surfer turned her head to her girlfriend and raised one eyebrow. "And more specifically...to what?" she questioned sarcastically.

Traci crossed her arms and glared at the purple haired girl. "At least somebody loves me you bitter anime character." she snapped back.

Lola took one step forward ready to smack some sense into the rich snob. She felt a hand on her chest and heard her girlfriend's voice in her head. _Don't you dare._ Lola turned her head to her girlfriend and saw the warning glare in her eye. Lola sighed in defeat and took a step back away from the annoying girl.

Once Hannah was content that her girlfriend was under control, she turned back to address Traci. "Woah woah woah. This is crazy. What idiot talked you into this?" she asked, not noticing the elevator doors slowly beginning to open.

Traci waved a dissmissing hand at the singer's concern. "He's not an idiot. He's my fiance." she said, then waved her arm at the elevator with a flourish. "Jakey!" she announced proudly.

Jake smiled brightly as the elevator doors opened and he began to walk forward. Then he saw Lola...and stopped dead in his tracks, halfway out of the elevator. The producers had told Jake that Hannah was going up to her floor. They never mentioned the purple haired friend that had accompanied her. Jake reached up and began massaging his throat in memory of his last violent encounter with the girl. His smile slowly began to falter as he tried to figure out what he should do. And even worse, anything he said or did on this floor was going to be captured on film by that television show. _FUCK ME._ He thought.

Hannah just stared at the actor in complete shock. After everything he had been doing to her over the past week, to show up in Las Vegas to marry Traci? Nothing made any sense. "Something something something say what?" she demanded stupidly.

Apparently, the singer's quips weren't even making sense at this point.

Lola had hatred burning in her eyes from the moment she recognized the actor preparing to exit the elevator. But despite Jake's unwanted presence, the love of her life making such a totally ridiculous comment, somehow managed to distract her. The surfer turned, crossed her arms, and stared dumbfoundedly at her stunned girlfriend. "Something, something, something?" she questioned. It was quite possibly the dumbest thing she had ever heard Hannah Montana say in public before.

Hannah heard the obvious question in her girlfriend's sarcastic tone. She shrugged helplessly. "What? It's the best I could do. I'm in shock here." she explained, trying to defend herself.

After seeing the look of hatred on Lola's face, Jake decided that now was not the best time to confront them, even if Traci would have been a witness to his murder. From what he understood, she and Lola didn't get along very well either. He decided the television show could screw themselves. His safety was more important. "Oops. Wrong floor!" he shouted as he stepped fully back into the elevator and started frantically banging on the control panel trying to make the doors close.

Lola took one step forward, ready to make the dash towards the evevator, until she felt a hand press strongly against her chest with far more force than the singer was physically capable of producing._ Don't move. I can get more answers out of him than you will._ Hannah informed her, then turned and took off towards the elevator.

After about three steps, the elevator doors began to close. Hannah used her mind to keep the doors propted open. "Not so fast lover boy." she called out as she raced into the elevator, finally allowing the doors to close behind her.

Lola called out to her girlfriend. "Hannah!" Not because she was concerned for her lover's safety, Hannah could take care of herself. Lola was annoyed that the singer had cheated and used her power to keep the surfer from finally getting her hands on Jake Ryan. And even worse, she was the one that got stuck here standing in an empty hotel hallway with Traci Van Horn. This night just kept getting worse.

The two girls stared each other up and down then simultaneously crossed their arms and turned their backs on each other.

Lola stood there and kept repeating over and over in her mind. _I love my girlfriend. I would do anything for her. I love my girlfriend. I would do anything for her._

Lola's mental mantra was broken when Traci decided to break the silence between them. "B-T-W HATE the outfit." she condecendingly told the younger girl, as she glanced over her shoulder at the black and red plaid jacket over top of black and white striped stretch pants.

Lola knew that her girlfriend would be mad at her for this, but she couldn't stop herself. _If she tells Hannah about this, I'll take my punishment happily._ The surfer thought to herself. Lola spun around and faced Traci directly. "B-T-W I can change the outfit, but your stuck with the voice." Then she did her best to mimic the sound of Traci's nasally voice. "Forever." she said. The last word kinda sounded like something the Wicked Witch of the West would have said from _The Wizard of Oz_. After a few seconds of standing there with a smug expression on her face, Lola turned and began walking towards her hotel suite.

Traci stomped her foot on her ground in annoyance at the purple haired girl. "It's a nasal condition." she screamed at the retreating figure.

Lola had mouthed each word that had come out of the socialite's mouth. She said the same thing every single time anyone mentioned her whiney high pitched voice.

Lola mentally high fived herself and swiped her room key. She opened the door and pulled the wig off her head and ran her fingers through her blonde locks. The surfer tossed the wig on the coffee table and picked up the remote control. The surfer ungracefully plopped down on the couch to watch television and wait for her girlfriend to return from her fact finding mission.

Lilly sighed in mild aggrevation as she thought about what the actor had managed to do for the _second_ time this week. "And once again he ruins a perfectly good opportunity for us to have sex." she said out loud to the empty room as she began flipping through the channels. "Un-fucking-believable." she growled.

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**Another one of those chapters...it became sooooo big...it got cut in half. Needless to say...Jake and Hannah are going to have a chat...and Lilly gets a proposal of her own...oh boy....oh, and there's going to be property damage. Love to read your thoughts and comments. Peace and love. - Jess**


	12. Ch 11 If Looks Could Kill

**Jake Jake Jake...what ever are we going to do with this boy? I will admit...I just had fun with this chapter...hope you'll enjoy it just as much.**

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**Chapter 11 - If Looks Could Kill **

**Las Vegas, Nevada; June 8, 2009**

Hannah stood on one side of the elevator glaring at her one time boyfriend with her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Marrying Traci? What the hell is that about?" she demanded. "This morning you were begging me to go out with you." she added, throwing her arms up in frustration with the actor.

Jake shook his head. He knew this wasn't going to be easy to explain and surely his former girlfriend was going to be angry with him for the way he had acted over the past few days. He ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair and blew out a breath. "Look, this was the only way I could get a chance to talk to you in person since I couldn't convince you to come out to dinner." he began, hoping that she would be willing to at least listen to him and give him to try to explain the reasons behind his recent outlandish behavior.

Hannah considered invading his mind to determine what was going on, but decided to give the actor one more chance to come clean first. "What the hell are you talking about?" she said, waiting for his response.

Jake pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket, ready to show Hannah physical proof. "Look, there are people who are after you for some reason." he said, flipping through his messages. He found one that was sent by the Shop and held it up to her face. "They threatened to kill me if I didn't help them." he told the blonde singer as he waited for her to read the text message.

Hannah read the threatening message. It said, 'Send more gifts to your ex-girlfriend. We're watching you. You know what will happen if you don't do as your told.' Hannah looked up from the cell phone into the actor's eyes. "Who are they?" she softly asked, but almost certain that she already knew the answer.

Jake shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I never heard of them before but the contact in my phone says The Shop." he informed her, then touched some buttons on his phone to bring up his contact list to show it to the pop star. As he held the screen up for her inspection, he watched as her face softened considerably.

Hannah closed her eyes. "Shit." she quietly swore.

Jake was unsure of what to make of her sudden attitude change. "Hannah?" he asked carefully, not wanting to anger the girl any more, but wanting to know how she felt about what he was telling her.

Hannah took a deep breath and tried to focus on what the actor was thought was happening. "Did they tell you what they wanted?" she questioned.

Jake only shrugged in response. "I assumed they were after Hannah Montana! They never referred to you as such, but I figured they had to know your secret. I mean what other reason could they have for wanting...the other you?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't take offense to him insinuating that Miley Stewart wasn't nearly as valuable as Hannah Montana.

Hannah rolled her eyes. _If you only knew. _She thought. The singer reached over to the control panel and hit the button for the top floor. She looked back to the actor and reached forward to place a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Jake, you're in so much danger right now...I can't even begin to tell you." she told him honestly.

Jake was surprised by the singer's response. "You know who these people are?" he inquired.

Hannah nodded her head in response. "You're not the first person they've threatened in our lives." she explained. The singer bit her bottom lip, wondering if what she was going to say next was the smartest move. Lilly was still extremely upset with the actor with how he had been acting over the past week. "Come back upstairs to our room so we can talk privately." she said softly.

Jake's face went white. Suddenly, it dawned on the actor why Hannah kept using the word 'our'. She wanted him to willingly go face to face with Lilly. The actor shook his head and backed up against the wall of the elevator. "Wait, you want me to be in the same room as…Li, I mean Lola?" he amended, realizing that he was still talking to his ex-girlfriend's alter ego. "She'll hurt me!!" he cried in a high pitched voice.

The elevator dinged. As the doors slowly opened, Hannah shook her head. "No, she won't." she said, reaching back to take his hand and yank him out of the elevator.

Jake was shuffling his feet and trying to come up with any excuse not to do as his ex-girlfriend had requested of him. Finally, he resigned himself to his fate. He groaned in frustration. "Fine. But you aren't allowed to leave me in the room by myself with her for a single second." he whined.

Hannah looked back over her shoulder as she came to a halt in front of the door to their hotel suite. She pulled the key out of her pocket and slid the key in the lock. Looking back at the actor one last time before opening the door, she decided to take pity on the poor boy. "Oh for pete's sake. I'll protect you, ya big baby." she said with a roll of her eyes, then opened the door and dragged Jake inside.

Lilly heard the door opening and immediately sprang up from the couch. The blonde smiled lovingly at her returning girlfriend, until she caught sight of the young man she had in tow behind her. Lilly's eyes narrowed in anger as she glared at the actor. "Jake." she growled out menacingly.

Jake's eyes were wide with panic. "L-L-Lilly." he stuttered as Hannah pulled him over towards the couch.

Hannah dropped the actor's hand and walked over to stand in front of her girlfriend. "Just stop. We've got problems." she said, placing her hands on the surfer's hips. "The Shop was making him do all that stuff." she explained in a low tone, and watched as her girlfriend's facial expression changed drastically.

Lilly closed her eyes and tipped her head back. "Fuck." she swore, then lowered her head back to lock eyes with her girlfriend. _Do we tell him about our powers? _She asked mentally.

Hannah shrugged in response. _He thinks they want to get their hands on Hannah Montana. _She replied.

Lilly reached down and interlaced her fingers with her girlfriend, then turned back to face the actor. Maybe they needed to get his opinion about the whole thing. "Alright Jake, so you warned us, what are you going to do now?" she asked.

Jake stared at the carpet, scuffing his shoes against the floor, trying to avoid having to look at the surfer's face. "Keep doing what they told me to do, but at least now you know **_why_** I'm doing it." he said softly. He honestly didn't know what else to do in this awkward situation.

Lilly looked back at her girlfriend. She could tell that Jake was just another pathetic puppet in the Shop's sick games. After catching Hannah's eye, she heard her voice in her head. _We need to tell him the truth. _Lilly looked back at the actor and sighed softly. The surfer nodded her head once in agreement.

Hannah began gently stroking Lilly's right arm as she spoke. "Jake, they're going to try and kill you." she informed the actor.

Lilly nodded in agreement. "They already tried to kill my dad." she also told the young man.

Jake was stunned by what the girls were telling him. He stumbled towards a chair as his knees began to buckle, and roughly dropped down into it. "Fuck my life." he swore, closing his eyes.

Hannah turned to look at her girlfriend with sad eyes after Jake's collapse. _We have to help him. _She mentally informed the surfer.

Lilly was obviously not happy with that thought, but she nodded her head in agreement nonetheless.

Hannah released Lilly's hand and walked over to kneel down next to Jake's chair and place a hand on his forearm. "You need to stay with us." she said softly.

Jake turned his head towards his ex-girlfriend. "What? Why?"

Lilly crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. Like protecting Jackson and Robbie Ray wasn't enough to worry about already. "We can protect you." she pointed out.

Jake looked back at Lilly with a confused expression. "How are you going to do that?"

Lilly looked down at her girlfriend. _He already knows how strong I am_. She thought, then waited for her girlfriend's approval.

After receiving Hannah's nod, Lilly walked over to the end table and picked up a small piece of artwork that was sitting there. It was a foot high metal statue of a bucking bronco. "Do I really need to remind you?" she asked, then took each end of the metal sculpture and slowly bent it into a U shape. When she was done, she stepped closer to Jake's chair and held it up for the actor's visual inspection.

Jake blinked several times at the mangled statue in front of his face, then looked up at the small blonde that had just performed this tremendous feat. He knew the blonde was strong, but what he had just watched her do defied description. Jake tentatively reached out to touch the statue to help convince his mind that what his eyes had just witnessed was real. After feeling the cold metal, Jake jerked his hand back as if his fingers had been burnt. He slowly lifted his head to look in the blonde's eyes. "What happened that night in front of my house was completely real. I didn't imagine any of it." he said, his voice full of wonder.

Lilly smirked at the actor. "Oh, it was real alright." she assured him, then unbent the sculpture, trying to return it to its original form and set it back down on the end table.

Jake was slightly overwhelmed by what he had just seen. Lilly was clearly...not…human? For lack of a better description. And Hannah seemed to be okay with it. She didn't seemed to be bothered by Lilly's demonstration in the least. 'I guess compared to admitting that you're a world famous rock star, having super strength comes in a distant second.' he thought to himself. Finally, Jake made his decision. Having a bodyguard with super strength certainly couldn't hurt. What did he really have to lose? "Okay, so what do we do?" he asked, looking back and forth between the two blondes.

Hannah had an idea, but she definately needed her girlfriend's approval first. And that might be a little bit dicey. She thought about having the conversation in their minds, but figured that Lilly would surely have some kind of verbal outburst after hearing her idea. The singer tapped the actor's forearm gently as she stood up. "Don't move. I need to talk to Lilly in private for a few minutes." she said while walking over and taking her girlfriend's hand then leading her towards their bedroom.

Jake watched as the two blondes left the room. "Sure." he mumbled, turning his head back to stare at the metal statue. The actor couldn't help himself. He got up from the chair and walked over to pick up the statue. The first thing that he noticed was how heavy it was. It easily weighed about twenty pounds or so. He took an end in each of his hands and attempted to do what the smaller blonde had just done. His face reddened and his arms shook with the exertion. After about twenty seconds, he gave up any hope of repeating the blonde's accomplishment. He set the statue back on the table and stared at the angry red marks in his hands. All he managed to do was make his hands sore. The actor shook his head in disbelief. He walked back to his chair, sat back down, and continued to stare at the statue as if it held a secret that he needed to discover.

Lilly had a horrible feeling when Hannah dragged her into their bedroom. If there was something the singer wanted to say, she could have used her powers. The fact that she didn't, meant that whatever the singer was going to say was going to upset the blonde...very badly. The surfer could only come up with one thing that would fit into that category. The singer suggesting that Jake and her hookup.

Lilly watched as Hannah went over to the dresser and slowly began taking the wig off her head. The surfer watched as the singer removed the wig cap and allowed her natural brown curls to fall down her back. The blonde walked over and reached for the brush in the singer's hand and slowly began untangling the chestnut locks. As she caught Miley's eyes in the mirror, she tried to maintain her composure. The surfer took a deep breath and finally spoke. "Don't you dare say what I just know you're thinking." she warned the brunette.

Miley knew that Lilly would figure everything out before she ever said a word. They just knew each other too well. Miley closed her eyes and momentarily appreciated the attention Lilly was giving her hair. "The press will start to talk about him being at my concerts." she softly pointed out.

Lilly released Miley's hair and turned her back on the singer. She tossed the brush on the bed and then crossed her arms over the chest and closed her eyes at the uncomfortable feeling flowing through her body. "How can you ask me to let him…" she said, trying to express her feelings on the subject.

Miley stood up from the table and quickly interrupted her girlfriend. Lilly's green eyed monster was beginning to rear its ugly head. "Fine." she said, throwing her hands in the air. "You do it then. He can pose as Lola's boyfriend." she pointed out smugly, waiting for her girlfriend's retort to her latest suggestion.

Lilly whipped around to face the singer and pointed towards the bedroom door. "You think I would let that slimeball touch **_me_**?" she demanded with an incredulous look on her face.

Miley knew it probably wasn't the best moment to do so, but she giggled anyway. Sometimes Lilly was just too cute. The singer's face softened and she stepped forward and snaked her arms around the blonde's neck. "I don't really think **_you're_** going to let him touch **_me_** either." she replied honestly.

Lilly sighed. This would be one of those moments where being willing to do anything for your lover absolutely sucked ASS. The surfer placed her hands on the singer's hips and then laid her head on the taller girl's shoulder. "Why do we have to do this?" she whined quietly.

Miley slowly ran her hands lovingly over the blonde's hair. "Because we're good people." she reminded the smaller girl.

Lilly knew it was the right thing to do, but that certainly didn't mean she had to like it. The surfer sighed once more then pulled her head back to look in the singer's eyes. "Fine. But I get to scare the shit out of him first." she declared with an evil glint in her eye.

Miley threw her head back and let out a loud bark of laughter. "Like the statue wasn't enough to do that?" she inquired, crossing her arms over her chest.

Lilly slowly began lifting the singer off the ground by raising her outstretched arms, then gave her lover a smug smile. "You know damn well that I could do something a hundred times more impressive than what I did." she grinned evilly, looking up at her girlfriend who was now about two feet above the blonde's head.

Miley shook her head. "Yeah super girl, I know." she said, patting the blonde's forearms.

Lilly quickly lowered Miley into her waiting arms and captured her tongue in an opened mouth kiss. After a minute, she pulled back and then rested her forehead against the brunette's. "I love you." she vowed.

Miley reached up with one hand to gentle caress the blonde's cheek. "I love you too." she said, then leaned in for another kiss. "And I'm sorry for asking you to do this." she said truthfully.

Lilly shrugged. "Well, it's kinda my fault, isn't it?" she replied.

Miley's eyes flashed with anger for a brief second. "Not another word." she warned the surfer. "Do you understand me?" she growled.

Lilly knew how Miley felt about her blaming herself for this situation. The surfer felt it wise to do as she was told. "Yes dear." she replied submissively.

Miley relaxed at the Lilly's response. The singer interlocked their fingers and started pulling the surfer towards the bedroom door. "Come on, Jake's probably panicking by now." she said.

The young couple existed the bedroom and walked over to stand in front of the actor's chair. "Jake, we have an idea." Miley started to explain.

Lilly released the singer's hand and slowly began wandering back over towards the end table, eyeing the actor dangerously the entire time.

Jake watched the two girls cautiously. "W-w-what's that?" he asked nervously as he felt like the blonde was stalking him for some reason with the look she was giving him.

Miley rolled her eyes at her girlfriend. She knew the surfer was about to do something relatively spectacular, but had no idea what the blonde had in mind. "Well, we think you should pose as Hannah's boyfriend for a while until this gets resolved." she told the actor.

Jake's eyes went wide with shock. This had to be a bad practical joke on him. Lilly would _**never**_ in a million years go for something like that, would she? Not after everything he had done. The actor looked over at the blonde, who was now standing in front of the end table. "And you're okay with this?" he asked in a high pitched voice.

Lilly looked down at the bronco sculpture and smiled. The surfer picked the piece of art up and turned back around to face Jake. "As long as we have an understanding." she started to explain, while she slowly began smashing the statue between her hands. "You can _borrow_ Hannah for a little while, but remember... _Miley belongs to me_." she declared and gave the statue one last push, compacting the once foot high statue into a ball of metal, roughly the size of a raquetball.

Lilly held the ball of metal up in one hand and turned to inspect her handiwork. Not too shabby, she thought with a grin, then turned back to make sure that the actor had gotten her message. "Any questions Jakey?" she sneered at the blonde boy, then handed the small ball of metal to the actor.

Jake stared at the heavy ball of metal now resting in his hand. His mind couldn't take it anymore. Everything that was happening tonight was just too much. The actor ending up doing what every 'real' man does in a time of crisis.

He fainted.

Miley crossed her arms as she watched the actor slump down in the chair and the ball of metal roll out of his hand onto his lap. The singer turned to glare at her girlfriend. "Did you _really_ have to do that?" she asked exasperatedly.

Lilly shrugged her shoulders, but couldn't keep the shit eating grin off of her face. "It got my point across, didn't it?" she asked with a chuckle.

Miley rolled her eyes. She flicked her index finger towards her girlfriend causing the metal ball to fly towards the surfer's midsection with quite a bit of force. "Oof." the surfer groaned as she caught the small projectile.

Miley grinned at Lilly's brief discomfort. The surfer had it coming. Miley used her mind to pick Jake's body up off the chair and move him to a more comfortable position on the couch. After she set him down, she walked over to the closet and pulled a blanket down off the shelf. She walked back to the couch and gently covered the actor.

Now that Jake was comfortable, Miley turned towards her girlfriend. "Come on. Let's go tell Dad and Jackson what's going on." she said, and the girls headed toward the adjoining suite.

************

After about ten minutes, Jackson and Robbie Ray were staring at each other in total shock.

Jackson, who was sitting on the arm of the couch, turned to look back at the girls sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the coffee table. "You're gonna WHAT?" he demanded again, not believing what he had heard the first time around.

Miley groaned in frustration. She really didn't want to have to say it again. Fortunately, she was saved by her father addressing her girlfriend.

"Lil, you sure you're okay with this darlin?" he asked hesitantly. The country singer understood the logic behind the girls decision, but at the same time, he also knew how emotionally unstable the small blonde could be at times. He just couldn't imagine how the surfer was going to be alright watching Jake touch Miley.

Lilly sighed. "No, I'm not." she said, then noted the glare she was receiving from her girlfriend out of the corner of her eye. She decided to amend her statement. "But in all fairness to him, this wasn't his decision either. He got dragged into this mess just like the rest of us did." Lilly noted the small smile on her girlfriend's lips and knew she had said the right thing.

Robbie Ray shook his head in response. "I just don't think this is going to work." he said worriedly. "Especially with him not knowing the whole story."

Lilly leaned her head back against the chair and groaned in frustration. "Well, if you have any better ideas, believe me I am all ears." she pointed out as the girls stood up from the chair to prepare to head back to their bedroom for the night. "In the meantime, we're going to bed."

Jackson just sat there shaking his head in disbelief. "So, my sister has a girlfriend and her alter ego has a boyfriend? This brings new meaning to the words two-timing!" he commented with a smirk.

Miley however was not amused and glared at her brother. "Shut up Jackson." she said.

As the girls walked past the young man, the surfer reached out and pushed her girlfriend's brother off the arm of the couch.

Jackson landed on his back with a loud thud.

Robbie Ray watched the girls walk through the wall, back into their own suite. He just couldn't seem to stop shaking his head. "Heather's not gonna like this one bit." he said, reaching for his cell phone to call his girlfriend and give her the latest update.

***************

Lance Maverick was working late this evening after his Las Vegas Team had come through with a tip from a limo driver. The Colonel was reviewing everything that had managed to drum up regarding the Stewart's finances. Suddenly, the silence of his office was broken by the buzzing of his intercom. Lance reached down and pressed the button. "Yes?" he called out.

"I've got it." a female voice said.

"Here. Now." he growled and released the button.

A thin blonde woman wearing a black skirt and white blouse came rushing into the Colonel's office. She hurried up to his desk and thrust a file folder into his face. "Maverick, you need to take a look at this." she gasped. She had run about a hundred yards from her office on the other side of the compound.

Lance opened the folder and started reading. After a minute, he closed his eyes tightly against what he was seeing. "This can't be right." he swore, shaking his head in disbelief.

The secretary nodded her head affirmitively. "After the initial hit from the limo driver the agents bought off in Vegas, we started piecing together flight records, limo itineraries, hotel bills, it all matches up perfectly." she informed the older man.

Maverick looked down at the information in front of him one last time, then back up at the secretary. "You're absolutely certain?" he said, asking for total clarification on this matter.

The secretary understood that the Colonel was having a hard time excepting what the file said. She finally decided he needed to hear it out loud. "Yes sir. Apparently Lilly Truscott is dating Hannah Montana." she explained to the older man.

Maverick slammed the file down on his desk. "Mother fucker." he swore, then turned his head to look at one of his other notes about Jake Ryan. Lance reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ryan knows." he mumbled. "That boy fucking knew who she was!" he roared, slamming his closed fist down on the desk. "That's why he's doing that stupid hidden camera show, so he could get to Stewart without our interference!" he growled, seething with anger being fooled by the boy's duplicity.

The small blonde was still calmly standing in front of the Colonel. She had seen many a mission blow up before, so his out burst was hardly unexpected. "Do you wish for the Vegas team to engage any of them sir?" she asked, awaiting the Colonel's orders.

Lance took a deep breath and closed his eyes. This was getting far more complicated then it needed to be. 'We need to remove some pieces from the game board.' he thought. Finally, Maverick opened his eyes to revel the cold, calculating stare of a dangerous man. "Tell Grant and Jones that Mr. Ryan needs to be dealt with permanently. And if in the process the actor were to accidentally kill a teenage pop princess, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing." he explained slowly.

The secretary nodded her head and turned to leave. "Yes sir."

Lance reached down and picked up a picture of Lilly that had fallen out of the folder. "Damn little girl better be worth this much trouble." he growled.

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**Shit's getting ready to hit the fan...hope you're ready...cause we've got a heck of alot of action coming up...time for talking is just about over. Let's see, how about a little hint...Someone's going to die...someone's going to have a mental breakdown.....and that's not even the exciting stuff that's going to happen in the next two chapters...love to read your thoughts and comments. Peace and love.-Jess**


	13. Ch 12 Do It For You

**So Jake's got a girlfriend huh? Well, we'll see how long this lasts...Let's Rock...**

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**Chapter 12 - Do It For You **

**Las Vegas, Nevada; June 9, 2009**

Jake had woken up early Tuesday morning, hoping that he had dreamt the entire fiasco that was the night before. As he sat up from the couch, he noticed the purple wig laying on the coffee table in front of him. Next to the wig, sat a small round ball of metal...that cinched it for him. He was in his ex-girlfriend's hotel suite. It hadn't just been a bad dream. It was real.

Jake spent most of his morning on the phone with the producers of the _Gotcha_ television show, trying to explain how things had happened between him and Hannah the previous evening and he wasn't going to be able to continue with the practical joke. Once the producer started getting belligerent with the young man, the actor finally screamed into the phone that he was not going to prank his new girlfriend, then quickly ended the phone call.

Once the girls had finally woken up, the three teenagers got dressed and headed out to grab a bite to eat. At breakfast, Jake explained to the girls that he had only brought with him one change of clothes since he was originally only going to be in Vegas over night. And the tv show was going to provide him with anything else he needed to wear while on camera.

The girls decided that this was a perfect excuse for them to finally do a little shopping.

The afternoon went by rather quickly. They bought Jake some clothes from several of the finest boutiques in Las Vegas. It was better than shopping in Beverly Hills! The teenagers had a little bit of everything by the time they were finished. Jake had a week's worth of clothing, both casual and dress outfits. Hannah had purchased several outfits and seven different pairs of boots and shoes. And Lola tried to abide by her mother's wishes and only purchased two outfits, three pairs of sunglasses, and two pairs of shoes.

Jake had been very good about keeping the public displays of affection with his 'new girlfriend' to a minimum. While they were shopping, he was the perfect gentleman. He opened doors, held her hand a few times, and only ever touched her arms or her lower back.

It was actually an enjoyable afternoon. Lola was totally shocked by Jake's civil behavior. Granted, it might have had a lot to do with the demonstration Lola put on the previous evening, but whatever worked. And Lola also discovered that the actor had an incredible fashion sense and excellent taste. Two more things that she never would have expected from the arrogant Zombie Slayer.

By the time they had finished shopping, it was 4 P.M. Only three hours till showtime, that left the threesome just enough time run back to the hotel suite, drop off their stuff, grab a fast dinner, and then head over to the arena so Hannah could get ready for tonight's concert.

************

Everything ran smoothly for most of the concert. Jackson and Robbie Ray were securely tucked away in their private box, while Jake stood next to Lola on the right side of the stage as per her usual.

At the conclusion of _Always Find Your Way Back Home_, Hannah hurried off the stage and grabbed Jake's hand and yanked him in the direction of the dressing room. _I want Lola time. Now! _She thought to her girlfriend. The singer had reached her limit.

Lola got a huge grin on her face as she quickly chased after the two blondes.

Hannah had been struggling with her emotions all day. Everytime Jake touched her, she wanted it to be Lola. Everytime the girls thought they could sneak away together for a few minutes alone...there was a fan...or a saleperson...or a waiter...or Jake there to spoil the moment. Well, Hannah wasn't going to allow anyone to ruin it this time.

The new super star couple entered the dressing room. Lola followed, then closed and locked the door behind her.

Once the singer knew they were alone, Hannah released Jake's hand and pushed him towards the couch. "Sit and watch television. Listen to some music. Do whatever you want. But do not leave this room or open the door until Lola's with you. Got it?" she instructed the actor in her most authoritative voice.

Jake was pretty confident he knew _what_ was about to happen, he just wasn't sure _where_ it was going to take place. "Um, where are you two going to be?" he asked hesitantly.

Hannah reached back and grabbed the pink haired girl's hand. "The bathroom of course." she said matter-of-factly, then dragged her girlfriend into the rather large private bathroom attached to the dressing room.

Hannah pulled her girlfriend inside and slammed the door closed. She turned to face her girlfriend, her eyes wild with desire. The singer's entire second set had just driven the pop sensation's libido into overdrive. The young couple had gotten used to a certain level of intimacy between them, and not having had her quota for the day was driving the singer insane with need. Top that off with having to sing all those love songs that were written for her girlfriend, and it proved to be too much for the young singer's aching body.

Having Jake with them twenty-four seven was inconvenient to say the least. Hannah didn't realize how unnatural it felt between the two girls with him there. It wasn't like having Oliver with them. They hadn't touched each other, or hugged, or kissed, or even cuddled in several hours and Hannah was craving it. She wanted it. She absolutely had to have it. Right now.

Hannah grabbed her girlfriend's neck and slammed their mouths together so forcefully, that she caused Lola to cut her lip on her teeth. After a few seconds, the pop star pulled away from the kiss and stared deeply into the surfer's eyes. "You've got less than five minutes to get me off. Can you do it?" she asked, breathing heavily.

Lola smirked and immediately pressed the singer up against the textured wall and stared into the blue eyes of the pop star. "You know I can." she purred, and with that began to assault the singer's mouth, penetrating Hannah's lips with her questing tongue and drinking in the savory taste.

Lola's hands found their way through the gap between the blonde's form fitting t-shirt and pants. One hand making it's way up her torso and massaging her breasts through the sheer fabric of her bra; the other snaking it's way down, undoing her pants, and slipping inside her panties, until she found the wet, slick heat she knew would be waiting for her.

Hannah broke from the kiss, pressing her head back against the irregular surface, closing her eyes tightly, panting for oxygen as her body arched into the surfer's hands.

Lola never let up, trailing her lips and tongue down the taller girl's chin to her throat, nipping and sucking at her pulse point while continuing her attack on the singer's tight body.

After about three minutes of intense physical contact, the singer's body tensed and she cut loose an involuntary scream as her release whipped through her.

Lola removed her hands from their previous positions and wrapped them around the singer's back and held her close as she quickly came down from her high. Hannah wrapped her arms around Lola's neck and laid her head on her shoulders. "God, I love you so much." she whispered into the surfer's ear.

Lola smiled. "I love you too baby." The surfer looked down at her watch. "But you've got one more minute until you have to hit the stage for _Goodbye_." she pointed out. "And I am not going to be blamed for you being late twice..." she said with a wink. "In one week."

Hannah glanced over and saw her reflection in the mirror. Her secret rendezvous wouldn't be so secret if she went back out on stage looking like she did. The singer turned to her girlfriend and gave the surfer a wink of her own. "I got this." she said, then stepped over in front of the mirror.

Hannah used her power to make three brushes fly to simultaneously straighten out her disheveled wig. After quickly wiping her face first with a towel, she quickly reapplied mascara, eye liner, and lip gloss. Forty seconds later, she turned back to look at her girlfriend. "How's that?" she asked, striking a pose.

"Perfect." Lola said with a smile and then pointed at the singer's waist. "Except you forgot to button your pants." she pointed out diplomatically.

"Ah sweet niblets." Hannah blushed and reached down to fix her pants. "Anything else I missed?" the singer asked with a roll of her eyes at her own stupidity.

Lola smiled brightly. "No. You're good now."

Hannah leaned forward and gently kissed her girlfriend, trying not to smudge her newly applied lip gloss. "Oh yes, I am. Thanks to you." she said, then opened the door and headed back out to the dressing room.

Hannah reached the dressing room door and had one hand on the knob before she turned back to her girlfriend. "What would I do without you?" she asked lovingly, then opened the door and headed back towards the stage.

Lola continued to grin as she waved for Jake to follow her back to their concert watching positions.

As Hannah started singing _Goodbye_, Jake turned to Lola. "It's different with you two, isn't it?" he asked the pink haired girl.

Lola's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What's different?" she shot back.

Jake turned to glance out at Hannah on stage. "She never once looked at me like that." he pointed out.

Lola sighed. She was in no mood for the actor's ego. He had been so good about being a normal human being today. "You were both younger then, she wasn't ready for that kind of relationship yet." the surfer tried explaining, thinking he was refering to their physical encounter of a few minutes ago.

Jake reached out and lightly touched her arm. "No, you're not hearing me. She **NEVER, EVER** looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered to her." he told the surfer in all honesty. "Just now, it didn't matter if I existed or not." he said, pointing towards the dressing room. "Hell the 20,000 fans didn't matter." he added as he gestured towards the crowd. "All that mattered to her was that **_you_** were there." he claimed adamantly, finally pointing at the surfer.

Lola was slightly taken aback by the actor's sudden bluntness and surprising insightfullness. She wasn't sure how she should feel about Jake saying these things to her. "Is that a bad thing?" she softly questioned.

Jake chuckled. "No." he said, and shook his head. "It's wonderful. I hope I find someone who treats me like that some day."

Right now, Lola could maybe understand what her girlfriend had seen in Jake years ago. If only he didn't keep it so well hidden under his enormous ego half the time. The surfer reached down and took one of his hands between both of hers. "Be like this." she told him, looking into his blue eyes. "How you are right now. Be honest and real. And maybe you will." she said with a genuine smile.

Hannah finished _Goodbye_ and came over to stand next to Jake and Lola for a minute until it was time to head back out for her final encores. The singer noticed Lola holding Jake's hand. "Did I interrupt something?" she asked curiously, slightly surprised to see the two enemies in such a comfortable position.

Jake pulled his hand away from Lola and glared at the pink haired girl. "Yeah, she was hitting on me like you couldn't imagine." he said briskly, then stepped over and wrapped an arm loosely around Hannah's waist.

Lola rolled her eyes in disgust. And there it was. "So, do you have to summon the ego or does it just rear its ugly head whenever it wants?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

Jake threw his head back and laughed at how easy it was to get under Lola's skin. "Relax Pink. It's just a joke." he said with a smile.

Lola turned her head as she heard the band strike up the first chords to _Best of Both Worlds_. The surfer turned back to look at her girlfriend. "I think they're playing your song rock star." she said with a wink.

Hannah smiled, happy to know that Lola and Jake were getting along…so far. "They are. Try not to kill each other until I come back, okay?" she giggled, then took off back on to the stage.

Lola watched as Hannah started belting out the first chorus of the _Best of Both Worlds_ when she noticed two men in black suits showing some kind of ID's to the security officer at the end of the backstage hallway.

Lola immediately got an uneasy feeling and turned towards Jake. "Hold my hand." she told the boy.

Jake raised an eyebrow. "What?" he questioned, surprised at her usual request. "Didn't we just do the make nice thing? Taking it a bit far now, aren't we?" he added in a snarky tone.

Lola grabbed the boy's hand forcefully.

"Ow ow ow." the actor cried at the sudden pain in his hand.

Lola leaned in close to whisper into the actor's ear. "Don't let go. Do you understand?" she commanded.

Jake didn't know what was going on, but he knew Lola wouldn't be acting like this without good reason. "Yes?!?!" he replied anxiously.

The two teenagers remained in that position until Hannah had finished her second encore and rejoined them on the side of the stage. She eyed her girlfriend and raised as eyebrow in question at their linked hands.

"I think we've got problems." Lola informed her.

Hannah immediately read the concern on her girlfriend's face. "Is that why you're holding on to my boyfriend for dear life?" she asked.

Lola nodded. "Exactly. You got him now?" she asked, releasing her grip on the actor.

Hannah took the boy's other hand. "Yeah."

Jake turned to the singer, confused by their strange behavior. "What are you guys talking about? What's going on?" he questioned.

Hannah leaned in towards the actor. "She thinks the Shop's here." she told him and watched as the boy's eyes went wide with fear. "Relax. We got this." she said, running a hand up and down his arm to try and relax the panic stricken boy.

Hannah saw Lola wildly looking around the backstage area. _Where did they go? _The singer inquired mentally.

Lola shrugged. _Flashed badges to security then disappeared apparently. _She answered back. _They must be hiding somewhere._

_Chase them or let them come to us? _The singer questioned_._

Once again Lola shrugged. _Might as well let them think they've got the drop on us and wait in your dressing room. _She replied, then began heading towards Hannah's dressing room.

Jake had no way of knowing that the girls were busy having a telepathic conversation. "What are we doing?" he asked as Hannah began dragging him behind her.

"Playing possum." she explained as she pulled Jake into the dressing room and closed the door.

As the three teenagers made their way towards the couch, three heads suddenly twisted as they heard the door handle to the dressing room start to turn.

The door opened to revel Hannah's brother.

Jackson walked in the door with a friendly smile on his face. "Hey Hannah, great shoooow." As he said the last word of his sentence, he was grabbed by the shirt collar and pulled back against a bald man's chest. This action was immediately followed by a gun barrel being thrust against the boy's temple.

A blonde gentleman quietly closed the door then drew his own gun and pointed it towards the remaining three teenagers in the room. "Nobody moves. Stay right where you are." he ordered.

Jake immediately recognized the two guys as being the men that had threatened him in his movie trailer not that long ago.

Hannah locked eyes with her brother. _Jackson when the guns leave their hands, get out of the way as quickly as possible. Let Lola handle it. _She instructed her brother mentally.

Jackson gave his sister a brief nod. _Will__ do. _he replied.

Lola turned her head to look at her girlfriend. _You got the boys covered?_

_Not a problem, Jackson knows what to do. _She thought, then out loud said, "Lola, be nice to our guests."

Lola got an evil grin on her face. "Oh I will be." she growled. _I got the guns. Go for it._ The surfer heard in her head, then rushed towards the two men.

As the blonde man watched the pink haired girl approaching them, he cocked his gun back and shouted at her. "Don't move."

The next few seconds seem to happen in slow motion.

Hannah used her power to make the attackers guns fly out of their hands towards the far corner of the room. Jackson used their split second of confusion to duck out of the bald man's grasp and rush over to his sister's side.

Meanwhile, it had taken Lola all of two seconds to cross the room and grab each man's arm and create so much pressure, that both men were groaning in agony. "On your knees." she commanded and pushed them to the floor.

Once the men were on the floor, Lola adjusted her grip so that she was now standing behind them and pulling their arms up behind their backs in hammerlocks. "How many of you are there?" she questioned.

The blonde was the first one to give in to the extreme amount of pain he was experiencing. He thought his arm was going to be ripped out of the socket. He had never felt such an intense pain in his entire life. "Just us, I swear." he groaned, hoping that if he cooperated, the pink haired girl wouldn't do too much damage.

Lola was content that she had the blonde's attention on her right. She applied more pressure on the bald man's arm, causing his shoulder to dislocate. The bald man screamed in pain. "How did you find out who we were?" she snarled.

After the blonde saw what had happened to his partner, he was all too happy to spill his guts to avoid a similar fate. The Shop had told them she could pass through solid objects. No one had said anything about super strength or mental abilities. And it was very clear that she had no qualms about using them. "Bought off the limo driver once we knew this was where your private jet went." he answered, through gritted teeth.

Lola once again put more pressure on the bald man. She wanted to hear him offer some information. "How did you know we came to Vegas?" she growled directly into the bald man's ear.

The bald man took a deep breath trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder long enough to answer her. "That…wasn't us. Some other guys…found out...something about…former employer." he wheezed, his face contorting with pain.

Jackson turned to look at his sister with a frown. "Rico." he simply stated after hearing the man's statement.

Hannah nodded in agreement. "Call security." she told her brother.

Hannah stepped closer towards the men, safe in the knowledge that Lola had things well in hand. Literally. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the kneeling men. "We can't just let you people keep threatening our family like this." she said.

Lola nodded her head in agreement. These men held a gun to Jackson's head. She thought back to what her mother had told her to do. The surfer took the wrists she was holding in her hands and roughly twisted them 90 degrees. As the men began screaming, she shoved them to the floor and repeated the action with their opposite wrists. As she squatted on the floor, she looked back and forth between the two men. "Hard to point a gun at someone with two broken wrists, isn't it?" she said, then grabbed both men by their hair. "Tell all your little friends when they let you out." she began, then pulled their heads up until she could see their eyes. "Lola's not going to play nice any more." she said, then bounced both of their heads off the floor, rendering them both unconscious.

***************

Shortly after 11:00 P.M. Colonel Lance Maverick's cell phone rang. "Maverick." he answered.

"Have you seen the news?" the General growled angrily.

Lance sighed. The Colonel closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He had just finished watching the breaking news story about two men attacking Hannah Montana in her dressing room in Las Vegas. "Yes General." he breathed, knowing the General was going to be extremely displeased with the actions of his team. And especially the fact that they were apprehended.

"Those were your boys, were they not?" the older man snarled.

Once again, Lance could only sigh in defeat. "I don't have positive confirmation sir, but neither man can be reached by phone which leads me to believe that it was indeed them." he informed the General.

The General grunted. "Next chance you get, get a team and order a full strike. The girlfriend or the mother, whichever becomes available first." he ordered.

Lance's eyes went wide. Going after either of those people was surely going to push the target over the edge. "But General..." the Colonel began, hoping to convince the General otherwise.

Lance heard a fist slamming down on a hard surface. "I want this resolved _**NOW**_ Maverick." the General screamed.

Lance dropped his head in defeat. "Yes sir." he answered formally and was rewarded with a dial tone.

Maverick quickly dialed another number.

"Agent Adams." the man answered.

"Is the mother still alone?" Lance inquired.

"Yes sir."

Maverick sighed and pulled out a duty roster. "I am sending Watson, Derry, and Baker to rendezvous with you at your safehouse. Gear up, storm the location, and capture the mother at any cost." he instructed,

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds. "But sir..."

Maverick was in no mood to hear any arguments. "Do you understand your orders?" he growled.

"Yes sir."

"Good." he snapped, then ended the call.

He began searching the duty roster for the contact numbers of his other agents.

*****************

Roxy and Robbie Ray sat in a private waiting room at the Las Vegas Police Department, waiting for the authorities to finish questioning the kids.

Roxy had been the first one to enter the dressing room and was shocked by what she found waiting for her. Two men, unconscious, multiple broken bones, and two guns, loaded, but unfired on the opposite side of the room. When she had asked what happened, the kids had all agreed that Lola had handled the situation. Roxy knew there was more to the story, but respected the family enough, not ask any further questions.

Now that she was alone with Robbie Ray, she could hold her curiousity no longer. "Are you going to tell me what's really going on?" she asked the country singer.

Robbie looked up from the floor he had been staring at. "What'd ya mean Rox?"

Roxy sighed and leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees. "Do you know what those men were carrying?"

Robbie shook his head.

"They had Imabotine. That shit's military. And classified at that." she informed the country singer.

Robbie's eyes widened at Roxy's mention of the military. "What is it?" he asked.

Roxy sat back in her chair. "One drop of that in your system and an elephant would be down for the count." she answered with a bit of an attitude.

Robbie in haled sharply. "Lilly." he sighed softly, knowing that it would take an extreme measure to capture her under any circumstance.

Roxy heard the older man mention Lilly's name, but choose not to comment. "Why would someone need a drug that would cost millions...just to try and kidnap a singer when good old fashion chloroform would work just fine?" she asked, hoping Robbie would give up information willingly without being prompted.

Robbie dropped his head in his hands and sat quietly for a few minutes.

Roxy could tell that the country singer was torn up about something. "Robbie, I love those girls. You know that. I would never let anything happen to them." she offered, trying to convince him that she deserved the truth.

Robbie sighed and lifted his head to look in the bodyguard's eyes. "Rox, please understand something. I made a promise a long time ago. And I won't break it." he said, shaking his head. "It's not something I can tell you." he added, then tipped his head towards the door. "It has to be their choice."

Roxy wasn't sure what to make of the older man's statement, but she knew Robbie Ray. If he made a promise to someone, he would keep his word. No matter what. "Alright. That's cool." she told the older man. "But don't think I'm going to stop trying to figure it out."

***************

It was after midnight when Robbie Ray came rushing into the holding area after the police were done questioning all the kids. Being that Hannah and Lola could not produce any kind of identification, they were treated as adults.

The girls and Jackson went running into their father's open arms. "Are you guys all right?" he asked softly, as he tried to hold all three kids as tightly as possible.

Hannah spoke up first. "We're fine daddy." she said as she nuzzled even closer to his chest, reveling in the comfort of her father's loving embrace.

Robbie leaned down and gave each of his girls a kiss on the head, then turned his head to look at his son. He had been informed of what had happened and knew that Jackson had a gun held to his head. "Junior?" he asked, hoping that his son wouldn't try to hide it if he were scared.

Jackson grinned and blew a raspberry. "Please, with the dynamic duo watching over me?" he said with a smile. And Jackson was being completely serious. He was never scared for a moment. He knew his sisters would protect him. He never doubted it for a moment.

Robbie finally released his kids and walked over to put a hand on Jake's shoulder. The older man felt bad that Jake didn't have any family here to support him after this traumatic experience. "Jake, you all right son?" he asked gently, knowing that the boy still didn't know half of what was going on around him.

Jake shrugged and then looked up at the country singer's face from where he sat. "I, don't know what I am right now sir." he replied truthfully. He knew he watched a girl a lot smaller than him do serious bodily harm to two adult men and not regret it for a single minute. It was pretty frightening.

Robbie nodded and tried to give him an encouraging smile. "Best advice I can give you son is to just have faith."

The actor nodded his head. "Believe me sir, I'm trying."

Robbie reached down and took Jake's hand, pulling him up out of his chair. "Alright, the inspector said they were done with you guys so we can all leave." he explained, clapping the boys on the back and directing them towards the door.

Hannah and Lola were huddled close together after Robbie released them. It was wonderful that they were all finally together after such a frightening experience, but something was definately missing. Lola turned and stared into her girlfriend's eyes."I'm worried about mom." she whispered.

Hannah nodded her head in agreement. "Me too." she whispered back. The singer could tell that her girlfriend was desperately trying to hold back tears._ Do you want to go home right now?_ She asked mentally.

Lola nodded her head vigorously in response to the singer's nonverbal question.

Hannah didn't care who was watching anymore. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lover's mouth and then softly stroked the surfer's cheek with her thumb_._ Then the singer pulled the smaller girl into her arms for a warm embrace. As she stroked the pink hair of her girlfriend's wig, she turned to look at her father."Daddy, do you think we could go home right now?" she asked. "We're worried about mom." she added in a softer voice.

Robbie could tell that both of his girls were close to tears at this point. And honestly, he wanted to be with Heather just as much as they did. The country singer nodded his head and pulled out his cell phone. "I'll call and see how fast the flight crew can be ready. Let's go get in the limo. Roxy's waiting for us." he said, then directed his girls towards the exit.

* * *

**Woah, Miss Lola can be violent when she wants to be...and 5 against Heather...who do you think is going to win? Not going to lie...the next chapter is absolutely awesome IMHO. Lots of crazy ass shit going on next time...watch for it. Love to read your thoughts and comments. Peace and Love. -Jess**

**PS-In case you were wondering...Imobatine is a fictional drug that Freddy Kruger used to knock out Jason Voorhies in Freddy vs. Jason. And so help me if no one reading this story knows who I am talking about...cause that would mean I am too damn old. LOL**


	14. Ch 13 Coming Undone

**Wow, it was great to see how many people seem to be catching on to this story now that things are finally getting exciting. Thanks for all the reviews. Alright...I hyped this chapter up alot...I hope you guys think it lives up to it...I know that this has been my favorite chapter so far...can't wait to hear what you think..I wonder if Robbie Ray might write a song about this chapter? Hmmm...**

* * *

**Chapter 13 - Coming Undone**

**Malibu, California; June 10, 2009**

Heather talked to Robbie at 1:00 A.M. At that time, he, Roxy, and the kids were waiting in the executive terminal for the pilot to make his way to the airport from his hotel. The country singer told her he would call her back when they were getting ready to land.

Heather tried to stay awake and wait for Robbie's call by sitting in her bed and reading a book, but she was so physically spent after this evening's emotional rollercoaster. At 2 A.M. she finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep.

The luggage was packed and everyone was on board the private jet at 2:15 A.M.

At 3:10 A.M., after the pilot had announced that they were beginning their descent, Robbie pulled out his cell phone and tried to call Heather.

The phone vibrating on the nightstand awoke Heather from her slumber. "Robbie?" she answered groggily.

Robbie smiled, knowing from the sound of her voice that she had fallen asleep. "Hey darlin. We should be on the ground in about ten minutes." he happily informed her.

Heather was relieved. She couldn't wait to have her family back together under one roof. "Oh sweetheart, I'm so glad…" she told the country singer. Before she could finish her sentence, she was startled by the sound of glass breaking downstairs. She gasped at the sudden noise echoing through the quiet house. "Someone's in the house." she shakily informed the man she loved.

Robbie began to panic. He knew there was nothing he could do to help her from where he was currently. "Heather, don't do anything stupid. Just get out of the house!" he yelled into the phone.

Heather took a deep breath. "I love you Robbie…so much. Please give the kids my love." she said softly, then turned off her phone.

Heather knew there was no escape from her bedroom unless she was willing to jump from the second story balcony and hope she didn't break anything when she landed. She could tell from the sounds in the house that the intruders where slowly making their way up the stairs, so the only thing she could do was wait for them to find her.

Heather knelt on the side of the bed furthest from the door and patiently waited for the intruders to make their move.

*************

After Robbie screamed, all the kids were huddled around their father waiting for him to explain to them what was happening. The country singer stared at his phone for a moment then raised his head to look at his kids. "Someone's in the house." he said, his voice full of fear for his girlfriend's safety.

Lilly shot to her feet. "What do you mean someone's in the house?!?" she demanded. She couldn't believe this was happening.

Robbie shrugged helplessly, unable to tell them anything more than what he knew. "That's what she said." he insisted, his voice cracking as he tried to keep his emotions in check in front of the kids.

Miley pulled Lilly back down to the couch that they were sharing. The singer grabbed her girlfriend's hand and held it tightly, trying to calm her terrified lover. _Breath Lils. You need to stay calm baby. S_he mentally told her lover as she softly rubbed circles on her back.

Jackson placed a hand on his father's shoulder. "Did you try calling her back?" he asked.

Robbie shook his head and then hit redial. Heather's phone went straight to voicemail. The country singer closed his eyes. "She turned off her phone." he informed his son. Robbie couldn't believe this was happening.

He didn't even get the chance to tell her he loved her.

Everyone sat in shock for a few seconds. Jake and Roxy were sitting in a pair of cabin chairs towards the front of the passenger cabin. Jake knew that Lilly's dad had been a target and he felt so bad for the blonde that they now seemed to be going after her mother. Despite his concern, he felt it best to remain silent. Afterall, he wasn't family.

Finally, Lilly turned to her girlfriend with an idea. "Miles, do you think **_you_** can talk to her?" she asked, staring at the singer with frightening intensity.

Miley saw the determination in her girlfriend's eyes. The singer would do anything she could to help their mom, but she had never tried anything like this before. And she wasn't even sure if it was a possibility. And more than anything, the singer didn't want to disappoint the surfer. "But I've never…" she softly started to say.

Before Miley could continue, Lilly stood up and dragged her girlfriend towards the rear compartment of the aircraft.

Roxy had been taking in everything that was happening. But she couldn't figure out for the life of her, how Lilly thought Miley could talk to Heather if she turned off her cell phone. "Robbie, how can Miley…" she tried asking.

Robbie looked up at the bodyguard and shook his head. "Don't ask." he said softly.

Roxy felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. There was just something about those girls that was...different. The bodyguard just wished she could figure out what it was.

Lilly dragged the brunette into the sleep cabin and closed the door behind them. She pulled her girlfriend over to have a seat on the bed directly across from her. The surfer took both of the brunette's hands and gripped them tightly. "Baby, I know you've never tried anything like this before. But its mom. It's not like it's some random stranger." she pleaded. Lilly knew she was asking so much of her lover right now, but she didn't know what else to do. "What have we got to lose?" she argued.

Miley knew what Lilly was saying was true, at this point...there was nothing left to lose. The singer just wasn't sure she would be able to handle the blonde's devastation if this didn't work. But no matter what, she had to at least try. The singer squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. "I'll do my best." she promised. Miley closed her eyes and tried to mentally picture Heather in her bedroom. _Mom! Mom can you hear me? Please hear me. _She thought, desperately hoping that this would work.

Lilly watched patiently for any signs from her girlfriend, silently praying to any higher power willing to listen, to let this work. The surfer was rewarded when her girlfriend's eyes shot wide open in amazement. The blonde hoped that was a positive sign.

_Miley? Miley where are you?_ Miley heard her mom's voice say.

Miley sighed in relief. Heather was still safe, for the moment. _Still in the plane. Are you all right?_

_They're right outside the door._

Miley's eyes widened in fear as she locked gazes with her girlfriend. "They're just outside the door." she sadly informed the surfer.

Lilly knew that Heather was far from helpless, but she was still alone. If the girls could just get to their mother, they could ensure her safety. But they had to get there _**NOW**_. The surfer released her girlfriend's hands, whipped open the comparment door, and ran towards the front of the plane. When Lilly reached the cockpit door, she didn't even consider knocking and instead ripped open the locked door. "How far are we from Malibu?" the blonde demanded, breathing heavily as adrenaline began pumping through her body.

The pilot was stunned by the sudden presence of the small blonde. He knew that the door had been locked after take off. He stared dumbfoundedly at the broken door latch, hanging from its place on the frame.

Lilly didn't have time for the pilot's shock. "**_HOW FAR??" _**she screamed at the pilot, trying to startle him out of his daze.

The pilot shook slightly as the fiery blonde's voice thundered though the tiny cockpit. "U-under t-ten m-minutes." he finally managed to stutter, then glanced down at his insturments. "About 50 miles."

Lilly closed her eyes. "That's too long." she muttered, an alternative plan already forming in her head. The blonde turned around and rushed back to her girlfriend who was now standing in the passenger area of the plane. Lilly grabbed the singer's hands and held them against her chest. "How fast do you think you could get us there?" she softly asked.

Miley's eyes bulged in shock by what Lilly was suggesting they do. It was one thing to levitate them a couple of feet in the air, but she was asking her to launch them miles through the air….while thousands of feet off the ground! Not to mention that they wouldn't be able to breath and the wind would tear apart their skin. Miley began trying to voice her concerns. "But we would…"

Lilly had already prepared herself to counter any argument the singer could come up with. The surfer knew exactly what measures it would take to make this work. "I'll keep us phased, you propel us." she told her girlfriend, eyes pleading for her to agree.

Miley stared helplessly at the blonde. The singer knew how confident Lilly was about her abilities, but this was just **_too_** crazy. "You can't be serious!?" she asked, eyes wide with disbelief. "Aren't you taking this super girl thing a bit too far?" she shot back at the blonde.

Lilly released the singer's hands and threw hers in the air. "You have a better idea?!?" she screamed, terror now beginning to fuel her budding anger.

Miley sighed as she watched her lover's face showing signs of frustration. If given the chance, Miley would have done anything to try and save her own mother. But in this situation, it was Lilly being given an opportunity to save Heather's life, but the blonde _couldn't_ do it alone. The surfer desperately needed Miley's help.

And Miley wouldn't say no, even if she did think it was absolute fucking insanity.

The singer would do anything for Lilly. Even this. But she needed to know exactly how they were going to do this before she literally jumped out of the plane. "Alright, how will we know where to go?" she asked. "My power doesn't come with GPS." she pointed out. Flying around aimlessly wouldn't help their cause any.

Lilly thought about the singer's concern for a second, then had another crazy idea. "Tell mom to set the roof on fire." she said diplomatically.

Robbie had been listening to the girl's conversation, but couldn't let that last suggestion pass without protest. "Young lady have you lost your mind?!" he said, standing up from the couch.

Lilly turned to look at her dad and explained her reasoning. "We'll be able to see that from the air and use it as a guide so Miley knows where to go."

Jackson had also stayed silent. As soon as the surfer suggested the fire, he knew what Lilly was saying and thought it was a great idea. Jackson had more faith in the girls than anyone.

Jackson stood up and clapped his father on the back. "We've been nagging the two of you to move in together for months." he pointed out with a smile. "Now you'll finally have an excuse." he said, trying to lighten the tense mood.

Robbie turned to regard his son and saw nothing but confidence on his face. He couldn't believe what his kids were seriously considering doing. "You're as crazy as she is!" he said, pointing at the blonde.

Jake watched and listened to everything that had been happening in the past few minutes. There were so many things that didn't make any sense to him. But he had been seeing things all day that didn't make sense. Guns flying through the air of their own accord. Lilly's incredible strength. Miley talking to Lilly's mom without a phone. But setting peoples' houses on fire?!? Really? Finally, Jake could stay silent no more. "What the hell are you people talking about?!?" he demanded.

Unfortunately for Jake, everyone ignored him, far too caught up in their crisis to pay him any attention.

Lilly had made up her mind. There was no more time for discussion. "We're running out of time." she growled, then wrapped her hands around the sides of Miley's neck and locked eyes with the singer. "Do it." she ordered.

Miley nodded and closed her eyes. _Mom? Set the roof on fire._ She instructed.

_What?!?_

_It's your daughter's crazy idea. Trust us please. Just do it!_

After a few seconds, Miley got a reply. _It's done._

_We'll be there real soon._ Miley told their mom, finishing their mental conversation and opening her eyes. "Roof's on fire." she reported.

Lilly nodded and released her hold on Miley. She looked around quickly for her hoodie. The surfer knew her body could withstand anything, but just in case, she wanted the singer to have something more than a t-shirt to protect her from the elements in case something went wrong.

Fortunately, the girls had changed into jeans, t-shirts, and tennis shoes for the ride home. Lilly grabbed her hoodie from the side of the couch and threw it to Miley. "Alright. Time to go." she said and rushed over to give Robbie Ray and Jackson quick hugs.

Miley put Lilly's hoodie on then followed her lead and also hugged her dad and brother.

Jake was going crazy trying to figure out what the hell was going on. 'Where the fuck does she think she's gonna go?' he thought to himself. "Go? Go where?" he insisted, his arms waving about wildly.

Lilly rolled her eyes at Jake's outburst as she and Miley stood in the center of the passenger area. The young couple wrapped their arms around each other then the surfer turned to look at the bodyguard. "Roxy deal with him please." the surfer requested, nodding to the highly agitated actor.

Roxy nodded her head at the blonde. The bodyguard had sat quietly, paying close attention to everything that had been happening and trying to piece everything together. The bodyguard had the strangest feeling that everything was going to make more sense any minute now.

Miley looked over at the freaked out actor then looked back at her brother. "Explain everything to them for us." she added, then looked back at Lilly. "Ready when you are." she said, trying to sound more confident then she felt.

Lilly said a quick silent prayer, then leaned up to give Miley a quick kiss. "We're outta here." she said, then phased them both through the belly of the plane.

Jake watched as the two girls seemed to disappear through the floor of the cabin. The actor started screaming as his mind was unable to think of anything else to do.

Roxy knew now why the blonde had said what she said. The bodyguard calmly walked over to the hysterical boy, reached down and pinched a nerve in his neck, causing the boy to fall unconscious. She turned to the Stewart men and smiled. "Bet you thought that stuff on Xena was a bunch of bologna, huh?" she said with a chuckle. The short bodyguard returned to her seat and crossed her hands on her lap and casually stared at the Stewart men. "Whenever you're ready." she said and patiently waited for someone to start explaining. "I can't wait to hear this shit." she commented.

***************

After phasing out the underside of the plane, Miley kept them hovering vertically until they were sure which way to go. Fortunately, Lilly's idea _**had**_ been brilliant. From 10,000 feet in the air, it was fairly easy to pick out the house with its roof on fire. Hopefully, the Truscott house was the **_only_** house that was currently on fire in the area.

Lilly pointed at it and Miley nodded. _Hang on._ The singer mentally instructed.

Lilly locked her arms around the singer and pulled the brunette tightly against her body.

Once Miley felt the surfer secure her grip, she aimed them in the direction of the fire and used her power to launch them towards the flames...propelling them faster than she would have ever thought humanly possible, desperation and fear giving her more than enough motivation.

In less than a minute, they were hovering above the flaming house. Miley waited briefly for Lilly to give her a game plan.

"Drop us right inside her bedroom." Lilly instructed her girlfriend.

Miley nodded but had to close her eyes as they slowly entered the flames. Even though the singer knew her girlfriend would keep her safe from harm, floating through fire was more than just a little disconcerting, it was downright scary. As they touched down in Heather's bedroom, they saw no sign of the older blonde anywhere. The only thing they could see in the midst of all the flames were the bodies of four people lying around the bedroom floor. The bodies were hideously burnt to varying degrees...from extra crispy to charcoal.

As Lilly took in the carnage around her, she quickly realized that none of those bodies could possibly belong to her mother. She could **_never_** be burned by fire. The surfer turned to Miley in a panic. Did this mean they were too late? "Where is she??" she shouted.

Miley called out to Heather's mind repeatedly, but got no response. "She's not answering me?!?" she told the surfer. "She must be unconscious somewhere." she prayed, hoping it was only unconsciousness and not something more permanent.

Lilly nodded in understanding and pointing towards the window. "Go watch outside for anyone leaving the house. I'll check downstairs."

Miley nodded. "Okay." she said, then grabbed her girlfriend's shirt and pulled her in for another quick kiss. "Find her." she ordered then used her power to propel herself out the window towards the back yard.

Lilly quickly phased herself through the floor of her mother's bedroom into the dining room. The first floor hadn't yet caught fire nearly as much as the upstairs had. Lilly saw a man behind the couch trying to put out a fire on his arm. At his feet, laid the crumpled up form of Lilly's mother.

Rage and anger raced through Lilly's body at the speed of light. The surfer narrowed her eyes in undisguised hatred at the man. "**_You bastard!!" _**she screamed and rushed towards the man.

Agent Brown heard the scream and dropped the blanket he had been using to put out the flames on his arm and reached for his weapon, but it was already to late for him.

Lilly had made her arm indestructible and punched the man in the chest with indescribable force that was fueled by an unbridled rage. Blood, bone, muscle, and organs erupted from the new hole in the man's back, coating the couch behind him red. Lilly pulled her arm out of the hole she had created and watched as the man's body fell to the floor in a heap.

Lilly stood there breathing heavily, trying to calm herself after taking the man's life, feeling absolutely no remorse for her actions. Finally, she looked down to her mother's body.

Lilly was overcome with tears of joy when she noticed the steady rise and fall of her mother's chest. Heather wasn't dead. The surfer knelt down and gently picked up her mother. As she did, the surfer heard her lover's panicked voice in her head. _LILLY!?! Did you find her?_

Lilly smiled. _On our way out now_. She happily answered, as she carried her mother through the kitchen walls to the back yard where Miley was waiting.

The first thing Miley noticed when Lilly walked out of the house was that she was covered in blood from head to toe, which obviously wasn't her own. The singer wasn't certain how she felt about that, but she also knew that now wasn't the right time to discuss it.

Lilly laid her mother on the ground then turned to wrap her arms around her girlfriend in a tight embrace. "We did it." she sighed in relief.

Miley nodded her head and kissed the blonde's hair, despite its red tint. "Yeah, but we gotta get outta here before someone sees us." the singer pointed out, terrified to think what would happen if anyone saw the way Lilly looked right now.

Lilly nodded, then knelt down and cradled her mother in her arms once again. "Can you get us to your house?" the surfer asked as she stood up.

Miley smiled as she stood behind Lilly and wrapped her arms around the surfer's waist. "Relax super girl. I got this one." Miley used her power to lift all three of them into the air and fly them down 14 houses to the Stewart household. Miley lowered them onto her balcony, and waved at the French doors causing them to unlock and swing open.

As Lilly tried to step away from her girlfriend and walk into the house, she felt Miley tighten her grip on the surfer's waist. "Miles, what's wrong?" she asked, confused by her girlfriend's actions.

Miley knew that they couldn't leave traces of whoever's blood they were covered in anywhere in the house. "We are all going straight to the master bathroom to get out of these clothes and clean up." she informed her girlfriend.

Lilly couldn't understand Miley's sudden need to be clean. "Why?" the surfer asked, even more confused now.

Miley leaned down to softly whisper into the blonde's ear. "Baby, we're covered in someone's blood." she pointed out.

For the first time, Lilly looked down at herself and realized that she had dealt with the attacker in the messiest way possible. "Oh." she simply stated, her voice quiet and hollow.

***************

Ten minutes later, the girls had both showered and changed into clean clothes. After they had taken care of themselves, then they carefully stripped and cleaned Heather's unconscious body, then slipped her nightgown on. Miley put all of their clothes into a garbage bag and left it in the tub for Heather to burn later. Once there were no further outward signs of their encounter, the girls made their way to Robbie's bedroom; Lilly carrying her mother.

Lilly laid her mother down on Robbie's bed, then the girls sat down beside her, with Lilly sitting on Miley's lap.

Lilly reached down to gently shake her mother. "Mom, wake up." she said, looking forward to finally seeing her mother's blue eyes and hearing her voice.

Miley looked down at Heather and wondered if a little extra air might help. The singer used her power to force a large quantity of air into the older woman's lungs.

Heather blew out a sudden breath then opened her eyes. The sight before her made her heart soar. "Girls." she sighed as she sat up and wrapped her arms around the two of them.

Heather closed her eyes. "There were just too many. I set a few of them on fire, but every time I turned to deal with one...another seemed to slip in the door." At this point, all three women were in tears. "Thank you for saving me." she choked out between sobs.

Lilly squeezed her mother a little tighter. "It was all Miley's doing." she whispered into the older blonde's ear.

Despite the whispered words, Miley still heard what the surfer had said. The singer pulled back from Heather to glare at her girlfriend. "That's not true and you know it." she argued.

Lilly pulled back from her mother to turn her head towards her girlfriend. "YOU were able to contact her from miles away. YOU were the one that got us here." the surfer pointed out.

Miley narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, and without YOUR power, I never could have gotten us here as fast as I did. And YOU were the one that found her." the singer answered back.

Heather let out a light hearted chuckle through her tears. Here were her two girls arguing about who was more amazing. "You're BOTH incredible." she said laughing then she reached forward and pulled them back into another tight ebrace. "And I love you both so much." she murmured softly.

"Love you too." Lilly whispered back.

Meanwhile, Miley answered in her own way. _I love you too mom._

After a minute, Miley pulled away from Heather. "We gottta call the guys!" she shouted, horrified by the thought that Robbie and Jackson didn't know yet that everyone was safe.

Heather leaned back and sighed. "My phone didn't make it." she pointed out, remembering setting it on her nightstand after talking to Robbie.

Miley nodded. "I'll call him."

Lilly turned her head to look at her girlfriend. "Don't you think we should use a phone so mom can talk to him too?" she asked, thinking Miley meant she was going to use her powers.

Miley rolled her eyes. "You mean like this?" she said, pulling her cell phone out of her back pocket. "What? You think I learn one new trick and I'm ready to give my phone?" she asked incredulously. "Yeah right." she skoffed.

Heather smirked and shook her head at her girls. "You two are just too much."

Miley grinned back and she dialed her father's number. "Daddy?"

"Miles?" he shouted, relieved that at least one of his girls was alright.

Miley smiled as she gave him the good news. "Someone wants to talk to you." she said, then handed Heather the phone.

"Hey cowboy." she happily greeted the country singer.

Robbie Ray let out a low groan as heard the voice he thought he'd never hear again. "Heather." he sighed in utter relief.

"Hi sweetheart. The girls and I are fine. We're waiting for you at the house."

Robbie sat with his head in his hand. "Oh God darlin...I was so..."

Heather's heart was breaking that she couldn't be in the country singer's arms at that very moment. "I know cowboy. Me too." she said, knowing exactly how he felt.

"Alright, we're pulling up to the terminal. We'll go grab the Tahoe and be home in a half an hour." he promised.

"I'll be counting the minutes." she told him. "I love you Robbie."

"Love you too darlin." he said, then hung up his phone.

Jackson waited until his father put his phone away, knowing from overhearing his conversation that everyone was okay. "Dad?" he asked.

Robbie looked up at his son. "Yeah Junior?"

Jackson punched him hard in the arm then pointed his index fingers at the country singer. "TOLD YA!!!" he hollered in triumph. "That's my sisters baby! I knew they could do it." he shouted as he began doing a victory dance around the passenger cabin.

Jake had woken up a few moments ago, and had been trying to piece together what had happened. Apparently, his ex-girlfriend's girlfriend as well as his ex-girlfriend weren't human. They both apparently had numerous super powers. His ex-girlfriend's body guard was some kind of chinese pressure point freak. And Miley's brother has to be on drugs cause he thought the whole thing was fucking cool. Jake had just about all he could take of the Stewart family. He didn't care if someone wanted to kill him. After everything he had seen in the past twenty four hours...these people scared him MORE. "You're whole family is fucking nuts!" he shouted as rushed over to wait for the crew to open the door.

Robbie tried to calm the freaked out young man down. "Now Jake…" he began in a soft tone.

Jake threw his hand up and warned the older man. "No! You just stay away from me." he screamed. "All of you, just stay away from me."

As soon as the flight crew opened the door, Jake was running down the steps, heading for the terminal.

Roxy crossed her arms. "Want me to go after him?" she dryly asked. The boy was annoying.

Robbie shook his head. "No, let him be. He knew his choices." he said as he gathered up his personal belongings. "If he wants to take his chances with the Shop, that's his problem, not ours." the country singer pointed out. "I just hope he knows someplace safe to hide." he added as Roxy, Jackson and himself made their way to the waiting limo.

***************

Colonel Lance Maverick sat in his office, holding a phone to his ear and rubbing his aching temples. "What do you mean we lost the whole team?!?" he screamed at the communications officer that had been monitoring the Truscott mission.

A pause.

"She set the house on fire?" he screamed a little louder.

Another pause.

"What do you mean the mother was a fucking special?!" he screamed even louder still, then slammed the phone down.

Maverick stabbed the intercom button on his phone. "Get Captain Wells to my office immediately!!!" he screamed in frustration. Never in all his years had he ever lost an entire team. Let alone to lose five perfectly good agents because some prick in a lab coat doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about.

Maverick looked up as Captain Wells entered the oval office.

Lance stood up and rushed towards the scientist and grabbed him by his lapels of his labcoat and shook him violently. "You told me that the Lot 6 drug was designed to attach to a recessive gene in the original vessel and would only ever appear as a dominate gene in the offspring!" he growled.

The poor Captain could do nothing but cower in fear. "In every case that's how it has been. We have never come across an original volunteer that experienced any signs of somehow integrating the drug into one of their own dominate genes!" he explained, waiting to see what the Colonel was going to do next. And if it involved hurting him.

Maverick released the scientist and walked back to his desk and sat down. "Captain, be prepared to be amazed because I just lost an entire five person strike force to Heather Truscott." he informed the Captain. "She set them all on**_ FIRE_**."

Wells' eyes shot wide open. This was unheard of. He slowly walked closer to Maverick's desk. "Fascinating. Clearly there is something in their specific genetic makeup that reacted uniquely with the Lot 6 drug." he commented to himself, then looked up to address the Colonel. "Colonel, I can't stress the importance of acquiring both Truscott woman immediately."

Maverick shook his head. No more games. It was time to end this.

Lance reached down and pressed the intercom button once more. "Code Red. Every available body to debriefing room by 0600 hours." he shouted.

* * *

**Hmm, gloves are off? On both sides...wonder what that means? Not going lie...we are going to be going heavy action and drama over the next week chapters, so grab on tight...it's gonna be one hell of a ride. Next chapter is going to take you high...then sink you low. Love to read your thoughts and comments. Peace and Love. -Jess**


	15. Ch 14 No Air

**Well, well, well...so you liked the last chapter did you? Well great...You'll love how this one starts, but you may be ready to scream at me but the time its done. I know, but there has to be some drama... Just remember....everything happens for a reason...**

* * *

**Chapter 14 **- **No Air **

**Malibu, California; June 10, 2009**

It was nearly 4 in the morning when the Stewart men finally made their way back to the house after picking up the Tahoe from the garage.

As Robbie opened the front door, he was thrilled to be greeted by the sight of the three most important women in his life sitting on the couch. Heather was sitting in the middle with one of the girls under each arm, snuggled closely together watching television.

As Heather turned her head to look at him, the passion between them could not be denied. The older blonde jumped up from the couch and raced over to wrap her arms around the country singer. "I thought I'd never see you again." she whispered softly in his ear.

Robbie closed his eyes tightly as he relished the feel of having Heather in his arms once more. The country singer had thought a lot about everything that had happened in the past few days. And he had come to the conclusion that he would never again be apart from the woman he loved. He leaned back slightly and gave her a long, slow, tender kiss. While their mouths were connected he reached back and unhooked Heather 's arms from around his neck. After a minute he pulled back from the kiss then leaned his forehead against hers as he held her hands against his chest. "Heather, I know this is probably stupid and I'm outta my mind for even considering doing this right now after everything that's happened…" he began to explain as he reached down and rummaged around in his coat pocket for something.

Miley eyes went wide as she listened to her father talk. The singer turned her head to her girlfriend with huge grin on her face. _HE'S GONNA PROPOSE!!!_

Lilly's smile mirrored Miley's as she nodded her head in agreement with Miley's prediction. The young couple held each others' hands tightly trying to contain their excitement, as they focused back on the scene unfolding in front of them, not wanting to miss a minute of it.

Jackson had made his way in the door with some luggage and set it down in the living room. He was now standing behind the couch, equally interested in what was happening between the older couple.

Robbie Ray finally got a hold of the small ring box containing the 8 caret diamond engagement ring that he had purchased while he was in Las Vegas. He figured it was the perfect opportunity to buy the ring, since Heather wasn't with him and there were so many fabulous jewelry stores to choose from.

He had originally planed to wait until this whole ordeal with the Shop was settled to ask Heather to marry him, but when he was up in that plane and her life was in danger, all he could think about was much he would regret Heather not knowing how he truly felt about her if she died. The country singer promised himself that if she survived, he wouldn't waste another minute of their life together.

Robbie tried to think of just the right words to say to make Heather understand the depth of what he was feeling in his heart.

Heather misread the country singer's slight hesitation. The older blonde thought he was overcome with emotion thinking about her almost dying and just so happy that she was alright. "Robbie, I'm here. I'm okay." she reassured him.

Robbie held up a hand and shook his head. "Please just listen to me." he begged her.

Heather nodded and waited patiently for whatever it was the singer wanted to say.

Robbie took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "After Susan died, I never thought I would find love ever again." he softly said, then opened his eyes and looked into Heather's baby blues. "That was before I found you." he said lovingly.

Heather's breath hitched as she felt her eyes start to water as she finally caught on to what was most likely going to happen.

Robbie cleared his throat, fighting against the nervousness he felt in his stomach. "Since the moment we met, you've made my life better. You've already become a second mother to my kids. And I love your daughter as if she were my own. And I know I said in the beginning that I would _never_ push you to make any decisions, and I still won't. If you don't want to give me an answer to my question right away, I completely understand. But I always said I wanted to be clear in my intentions." he said, opening the box in his right hand and rubbing his thumb over the ring inside.

Miley gripped Lilly's hand even tighter as she watched her father bend down and rest his right knee on the ground.

Robbie brought Heather's left hand up to his mouth and gave her knuckles a soft kiss. Then the country singer held his right hand up, showing Heather the box with the ring inside. "Heather Truscott, would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked, laying his heart on the line.

Heather was crying openly at this point. She knew without a doubt that she loved Robbie Ray with her whole heart and no other man could ever understand her and accept her the way he did. No man in her life had ever made her feel as loved, cherished, or adored as the man that currently knelt in front of her.

Heather's only concern was what the children thought, but that concern was quickly wiped away as she lifted her head and saw all three teenagers nodding their heads yes, encouraging her to do the same. The older blonde chuckled through her tears at their happy, eager faces.

Heather bit her bottom lip as she locked eyes with the country singer and ran her left hand through his lush hair. "Yes." she sighed happily. "I can't think of anything that would make me happier than to call you my husband." she said as the tears of joy began falling freely and she dropped to her knees to capture her fiancé in a passionate kiss.

Jackson had joined his sisters on the couch, watching the proceedings. As heartwarming as this scene was, it just didn't seem like _them_ in a way. Granted, how many parents propose in front of their children at 4 A.M? Certainly not very many. But Jackson just felt like something was missing. As he took note of the adults on their knees, he was suddenly struck with an idea. He turned to look at his sisters. "Shall we tackle them in celebration?" he said with a playful glint in his eye.

Miley rolled her eyes at her brother's suggestion. "Seriously. How old are you?" she replied sarcastically.

Lilly smiled and nodded in agreement. "I'm in." she stated proudly.

Miley looked at her girlfriend, then closed her eyes and shook her head. "How am *I* the youngest?" she moaned indignantly.

Lilly poked her girlfriend in the ribs. "You know you want to." she said as she winked at the brunette.

Miley giggled at her girlfriend then nodded her head in agreement.

Jackson smiled at his sisters. They were awesome. "On my mark." he told them.

The trio waited patiently for just the right moment.

After Robbie and Heather finally broke their kiss, Robbie reached down and took the ring out of the box.

Heather held up her left hand for the country singer.

Robbie slid the ring on her finger and kissed it gently. "I love you." he vowed.

"I love you too." Heather replied, then threw her arms around his neck.

"Now." Jackson called out. And all three teenagers leaped off the couch and knocked Heather and Robbie to the floor and made a dog pile in celebration of their engagement.

Heather and Robbie were both laughing profusely at the enthusiasm of their children. "I guess this means you guys approve?" the country singer asked, not knowing that all three teenagers had been telling Heather to say yes.

***************

It was only four hours later when Jackson heard his cell phone vibrating on his night stand. The boy rubbed the sleep from his eyes and picked up his phone. It was a text message from Jordan. It read, 'Jackson, there's a strange man outside my apartment watching me. What do you think I should do?'

Jackson closed his eyes. "Really? She has to notice him now?" he grumbled out loud to the empty room. Jackson was almost certain it was the bodyguard she had seen watching her, but he certainly couldn't tell that to Jordan.

Jackson glanced over at his alarm clock. He figured he could run over to Jordan's apartment, talk to the bodyguard, reassure Jordan and be asleep in his girlfriend's arms by 10 A.M.

Jackson quickly typed back a reply. 'Be there soon, just got back from Vegas early this morning.' He had told Jordan that there was going to be a few days in between the Vegas trip and their cross country excursion, which of course was to explain why they would be at home while Miley did her three concerts in Los Angeles. He rolled out of bed and quickly put on a clean set of clothes. He hurriedly scribbled a note for his family and taped on his bedroom door, then headed out to his car to drive over to Jordan's.

As Jackson pulled into the parking lot of Jordan's apartment complex, he noticed the bodyguard's car parked across the street. Jackson got out of his car and walked over to the car, but found it empty. He looked around the immediate vicinity, but Mark was no where in sight. Jackson thought this was a little odd, but wasn't too worried. After all, he was supposed to be a _secret _bodyguard. Besides, maybe he had just gone to get a cup of coffee or something up the street.

Jackson quickly made his way up to Jordan's second floor apartment and used his key to open the door.

As Jackson walked in the door and looked around her apartment, he noticed a lump under a blanket on the couch. He rushed over thinking it was Jordan. As he placed his hand on the person's shoulder, the dead body rolled towards Jackson onto its back.

Jackson was horrified to meet the glassy eyed blank stare of a dead body guard. "Mark!" he shouted and jumped away from the dead body. 'Dead bodyguard, dead bodyguard, dead bodyguard.' he repeated over and over in his mind. "Fuck my life." he swore.

Just then, two men stepped out of the hallway into the living room. The first man pointed his gun at Jackson. "Get on the ground slowly boy. Don't do anything stupid and we won't kill her." he said. The second man appeared behind the first. He was standing behind Jordan with a hand covering her mouth and holding a gun to her head.

Jackson stared in horror at his terrified girlfriend. He desperately wanted to help her, but he knew that he would stand no chance against two men with guns. He wasn't his sister. He didn't have super powers. And he certainly had no way of stopping a bullet. And most importantly, he wouldn't do anything to risk Jordan's safety.

The first man gestured with his gun towards the ground. "Floor!!! NOW!" The first man screamed.

Jackson held his hands up, showing that he was willing to do whatever they wanted him to do. "Okay." Jackson replied quietly, and slowly got to his knees then laid face down on his stomach and stared at the floor.

"Just knock him out, it'll be easier." the second man gruffly told the first.

Jackson's eyes widened as he heard the man's words and Jordan's muffled cries and he could only think of one thing to do.

_MILEY!!!! _he screamed in his mind, hoping against hope that somehow, some way...his little sister would hear him.

Two seconds later, as the butt of the revolver cracked down on the back of the boy's head, all Jackson knew was darkness.

***************

It was 9:50 A.M. and Oliver had just arrived at Joannie's house to pick her up and take her down to the beach to do some surfing.

After Joannie finshed putting her surfboard on Oliver's roof rack, she got in the car and leaned over the center console. "Good morning." she said, as she rested a hand on his cheek and gave him a nice long good morning kiss.

After she finally pulled back, Oliver licked his lips and smiled. "Best way to start any morning." he said with a slight chuckle as he put the car in drive and took a hold of her hand as they headed off towards the beach.

Not far from Joannie's house, Oliver came to a four way intersection. Oliver stopped and watched for his turn to go. As the dark haired boy waited for the car on his right to proceed, they were suddenly rear ended. The impact jolted them both forward against their seatbelts, but not enough to cause either of them any real bodily harm.

Oliver was slightly shaken up, but it could have been worse. The swimmer turned his head to make sure his girlfriend was alright. "Are you alright sweetheart?" he asked.

Joannie nodded and then glanced over her shoulder at the car behind them. "Dumbass better have fucking insurance." she growled.

Oliver smiled. Yep, she was pissed off. She was definitely alright.

Oliver and Joannie both got out of the car and headed to the back of the vehicle to check out the damage to Oliver's car.

Oliver's poor little Toyota had a broken tail light and a dented bumper. Nothing too major. As he looked up to see the driver of the other car approaching, he noticed the man pulling a gun out of his belt. "Wow, did I do that?" the guy said mockingly and pointed the gun at the two teenagers.

Oliver stepped in front of Joannie and threw his hands up in surrender. "Woah man. It's fine. I mean, it's barely a scratch. Some duct tape and a hammer and everything's fine." he said, willing to forget about the accident in exchange for their safety. "We'll just be going now. You have a nice day." he said, as he tried to take a step towards the driver's side door.

The man just laughed at the boy. "I don't think so." he growled and as he cocked his gun, putting a bullet in the chamber.

Oliver stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the gun cocking.

Suddenly, another car came to a screeching halt next to Oliver's Toyota.

The man with the gun pointed at the backseat of the newly arrived vehicle. "Get in the car kids." he ordered.

Joannie stepped in front of Oliver, unwilling to show any fear to the gunman. "And what if we don't?" she challenged.

The man smiled evilly and moved his gun a few inches away from the teens and shot out the back window of Oliver's car.

Oliver stared at the back window of his car for a second then looked at Joannie with pleading eyes then jerked his head towards the car.

Joannie nodded and took Oliver's hand as they went willingly into the gunman's vehicle.

As Oliver slid into the back seat, he realized that there was another man on the far side of the seat with a gun.

Once Oliver was seated, the gunman pushed Joannie. "Sit on his lap." he ordered.

Joannie climbed on Oliver's lap. The hockey player curled against her boyfriend, resting her head on his shoulder.

Oliver was a little surprised when he felt drops of water on his neck. Joannie had never once cried in front of him, that made him realize just how serious this situation was. Oliver couldn't stop his own tears as the swimmer tightened his grip on his girlfriend while they both continued to cry silently as they drove away from the scene of the accident.

************

Lilly was the next member of the household to wake up at about 10:30 A.M. The surfer smiled as she felt the warm naked body pressed firmly against her back and thin, delicate fingers resting gently on her abs.

Lilly reached down and covered the hand resting on her stomach and gave it a gentle squeeze.

The brief pressure was just enough to rouse Miley from her sleep. "What time is it?" Miley mumbled into the blonde's hair.

"It's still early. Little after ten." the surfer reported as she rolled over to face her lover.

Miley leaned forward and gently kissed the surfer's lips. Lilly could see the absolute exhaustion in her lover's face. They had no business making love last night after everything else that had happened. It was too much strain on Miley's tired body. But the singer was bound and determined to feel Lilly orgasm around her fingers before she slept.

And in Lilly's world, what Miley wants, Miley gets.

Unfortunately, unlike Lilly, Miley didn't have an overly developed body with high stamina and endurance. The singer's body was relatively strong and fit, but yesterday's power usage had taken its toll on the brunette. And even though she had greatly strengthed her powers over the past two years, nothing could have prepared her for what she did earlier this morning.

"Wake me at noon." she sighed softly as she snuggled deeper into her pillow.

Lilly smiled as she lightly stroked the brunette's hair from her face. "Go back to sleep baby." she said softly, then kissed her girlfriend's forehead and rolled out of bed.

Lilly stretched, then grabbed a robe to throw around her naked body. Unlike Miley, she didn't need more sleep nearly as much as she needed food right now.

As the surfer exited their bedroom, she noticed the giant note on Jackson's door that simply read: Gone to Jordan's. Lilly laughed thinking how cute it was that after everything that had happened this morning, the first thing he wanted to do was go see his girlfriend.

Lilly made her way downstairs and noticed that there was no coffee made, which meant that neither of her parents were awake yet. 'They probably stayed up even later than Miley and I did celebrating their engagement last night.' she thought to herself.

Lilly poured herself a large bowl of cereal and started eating her breakfast. The surfer was halfway through her second bowl of Coca Puffs, when she heard her cell phone ringing on the coffee table.

Lilly got up from the table and walked over to pick up her phone. The surfer was surprised to see her caller ID said 'Oliver Home.' Lilly was struck but how unusual that was. Oliver always used his cell phone to call her. He never called from his house phone. Like ever. The only reaason she even had the number was...in case of emergencies. As the last thought went through Lilly's mind, she was suddenly fearful about answering the phone. "H-hello?" she answered tentatively.

"Lilly, oh thank God you're okay." Mrs. Oken's voice said, sounding partially relieved and partially terrified. "Lilly, please tell me Oliver is with you??!" she asked, clearly desperate to hear the answer.

As Mrs. Oken had been talking, Lilly had made her way back up the stairs to her and Miley's bedroom. She knew her girlfriend needed rest, but the surfer needed her support right now. "Um, no Mrs. Oken. Miley and I just got home early this morning from a trip. Neither of us has seen him in a few days." she said honestly as she went over to sit on the bed next to her girlfriend. The surfer bit her lip as she fought against the sudden queasiness in her stomach.

Miley heard Lilly talking and slowly opened her eyes, thinking that Lilly would never be that inconsiderate to talk on her phone while Miley was trying to sleep...unless something was wrong.

The older woman took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure as she talked about her son. "He left earlier to go surfing and I thought that you might have been with him…" she choked out, then let out a sob.

Lilly reached down for Miley's hand as the older woman cried softly in her ear. "Mrs. Oken, what happened?" the surfer prodded gently. Something specific had to have happened to make her freak out like this.

After hearing the fear in Lilly's question, Miley woke up quickly. She didn't have to read the surfer's mind to know something was horribly wrong. The fear and concern was written all over the face. The singer sat up next to her girlfriend and leaned her head near the phone, trying to listen to Lilly's conversation with Mrs. Oken.

"I don't know." the policewoman moaned. "His car was just located in the ravine off of West Run Road. But there were no bodies found. I checked where he normally surfs, but I couldn't find him. I hoped maybe he was with you surfing someplace else…and someone stole his car, or something…" she said, trying to think of anything...but the worst.

Miley turned her head and locked eyes with Lilly. Both girls were fighting back tears now. Lilly cleared her throat. "I wish I could tell you he was with me Mrs. Oken. Please let me know if you find out anything. I'll check with all of his school friends." she promised his mother.

"Bless you Lilly." she managed to choke out.

Lilly felt the first tear slide down her face. "Take care Mrs. Oken. I'll call if I hear anything." the surfer promised, then slowly closed her phone.

Lilly turned her crying eyes to her girlfriend, unable to find any words to say at that moment.

Miley reached forward and pulled the surfer to lay down on the bed with her. Lilly laid her head on Miley's chest as the singer wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. The brunette gently rubbed circles on the blonde's back as they both laid there and cried for their best friend.

After a few minutes, Lilly broke the silence of the room. "They did this." she hissed quietly.

Miley closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to believe what the surfer was suggesting. "Lilly you don't know that for sure." she argued.

Lilly was in shocked by her girlfriend's disagreement and sat up quickly to stare down at her. "They come after us. Then mom. Now Oliver's missing? How can you possibly think that's coincedence?" she shot back.

Miley closed her eyes and sighed softly. "I don't, but I don't want to think of the alternative at this point." she said rubbing her face.

Lilly's face softened as heard the frustration in her lover's voice. The surfer laid her head back down and closed her eyes as she hugged Miley tight. After a moment, Lilly sat back up abruptly as she was struck by another terrifying thought. "Oh my God. Jackson!"

Miley's eyes narrowed in question. "What about Jackson?"

Lilly pointed towards the door. "He went to Jordan's!!" she informed the singer.

Lilly's train of thought was moving a little too fast for the singer to jump on board in her tired state. "So?" she tried again.

"That's what the message on his door said." the surfer exclaimed as she pulled out her phone and to try calling her brother.

Miley was desperately trying to understand what Lilly was telling her, but the blonde wasn't making it very easy. Jackson went to see his girlfriend. Why was that a bad thing? "Which means...?"

"We need to warn him!" Lilly's paranoia only increased as Jackson's phone went straight to voicemail. "There's no answer." she informed the singer.

Miley shrugged. "Maybe he turned it off?" she offered, but even she was beginning to feel uneasy.

Lilly glared at her girlfriend like she had two heads after that statement. "After last night? I don't care if he did want to cuddle with his girlfriend, he wouldn't be that stupid." the surfer pointed out, then sighed. The surfer reached down and grabbed Miley's hand. "Baby, I know you're tired, but can you try please? You made it work with mom and I know you're closer to Jackson." she pleaded gently.

Miley sat up and ran hand over the surfer's cheek. "Of course I'll try." she said, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

_JACKSON?!?_

No response.

_JACKSON!?!_

No response.

Miley opened her eyes and shook her head. "I can't reach him either." she informed her girlfriend. "He might just be asleep at Jordan's by now." she suggested as the reason she couldn't reach him telepathically, but she too was starting to have her doubts.

Lilly knew that what Miley was saying was definately a possibility, but the surfer just couldn't let it go until she knew for certain. "I'll go. You stay in bed." she said as she got up from the bed and started grabbing clothes.

Miley stared dumbfoundedly at her lover. "Love of my life say what?" she demanded as she slapped her hand down on the bed. "If you think you're going anywhere without me right now you are out of your cotton picking mind. Just give me a two minutes to take care of business and get dressed." she informed her girlfriend as she climbed out of bed and headed towards the bathroom.

Lilly watched her girlfriend walk to the bathroom. When the southerner made up her mind to do something, nothing would stop her. The surfer knew her girlfriend needed more rest, but she couldn't demand that Miley stay here knowing full well that Lilly herself wouldn't stay if their situations were reversed.

After the girls finished getting dressed, Miley looked over at Lilly. "Should we tell mom and dad?" she asked softly.

Lilly considered the question for a moment. The surfer really didn't want to worry them if it was nothing. She knew that her parents would both be very upset if something happened to Oliver, but if Jackson was gone...it'll be ten times worse. Besides, all signs pointed to this being totally innocent. Jackson did leave a note and he had been missing his girlfriend. The older boy was just as tired as the rest of the family and it is very possible that he is asleep in the safety of Jordan's arms right now.

Lilly shook her head. "No. Let's go find out if Jackson's okay first." she said as they headed out the door.

**************

Miley and Lilly made their way up to Jordan's apartment and rang the door bell.

Lilly looked at Miley to see her own fear mirrored in Miley's soft brown eyes. The surfer took a deep breath, then rang the door bell a second time.

When no one came to the door after the second ring, Lilly's heart sank. "Open it." she told her girlfriend quietly.

Miley used her power to unlock the door.

Lilly opened the door and slowly made her way through the kitchen with Miley close behind her. _The couch._ Miley thought to her girlfriend as she pointed at the person lying there.

As the girls got closer to the couch, they realized that it wasn't Jackson or Jordan. Lilly saw the blank stare first. "Oh my God." she said, covering her mouth in shock and turning to put her head against Miley's shoulder.

There was just something about finding a dead body that was just freaky.

Miley frowned. "That's Mark." she said. "Roxy's friend."

Lilly nodded. "Let's go check the bedroom." she said and the girls made their way down the hallway. After finding the dead body of the body guard, Lilly was almost certain that the bedroom would be empty. Or it could have another dead body in it. The surfer shuddered at the thought. Lilly stopped at the door to Jordan's bedroom and took a deep breath. "You ready?"

Miley nodded.

As Lilly opened the door, both girls were immediately relieved to find an empty, unmade bed. They searched the room for any trace of Jordan or Jackson. They looked under the bed, in the closet, and in the adjoining bathroom. There was no sign of Jordan or Jackson anywhere.

Miley looked at Lilly. The dead bodyguard had cinched it. The was the Shop's doing. It had to be. "They've got our brothers." she said softy as the tears started to run down her face.

Lilly could only nod in agreement. What did they ever do to deserve this?

Miley walked towards her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around the smaller blonde. "Lil, what are we going to do?" the singer softly questioned.

This was the first time that Miley had asked her that question and the blonde didn't have an answer to give back in return. "I don't know." she choked out as she burrowed her head into Miley's neck and held on to her lover for dear life.

* * *

**hmm, wow, morbid way to end the chapter. So what do you think our girls should do? Looks like Lilly's run out of ideas...and now they have to go talk to mom and dad...ouch. What a way to ruin an engagement...next chapter, Shop starts there endgame...oh, and we will discover what happens to Jake Ryan, remember I love to read your thoughts and comments. Peace and Love. -Jess**


	16. Ch 15 I Can't Do This

**Well, the proposal was definitely fun to write...the kidnappings...not so much....so the Shop has four hostages now...wonder what their demands are going to be? And this is definitely one of the more angsty type chapters...pretty much no action...relatively speaking it's all chatting...but don't worry...I'm sure I'll make it up to you. Party on.**

* * *

**Chapter 15 **- **I Can't Do This **

**Malibu, California; June 10, 2009**

Colonel Lance Maverick sat behind his desk as he waited to hear word about how this morning's recovery mission had gone.

When he heard the knock on his door, the colonel's stomach tightened. He couldn't afford another screw up. "Come in." he barked.

A young man with three strips on his arm walked up to the Colonel's desk and saluted.

Maverick returned the salute. "Report." he ordered impatiently.

The young man cleared his throat before speaking. "We have four teens in custody, including the girl's best friend Oliver Oken, his girlfriend Joannie Palumbo, her girlfriend's brother Jackson Stewart and his girlfriend Jordan Sinclair. All four teenagers are currently being held together in the brig." he said. "Oliver and his girlfriend were taken from his car, which has been disposed of. Jackson and his girlfriend were taken from her apartment, where gun play ensued."

Lance cocked his head to the side. "Casualties?"

The sergeant shook his head. "None from our side, but apparently Miss Sinclair had a bodyguard that tried to intervene during the recovery."

"The body?" the colonel inquired.

"Left in the apartment." the sergeant reported.

Maverick nodded his head with a small smile of satisfaction on his face. A dead body guard was a minor detail. "Dismissed." he barked, and watched as the young man disappeared out the door he had entered only moments ago.

Lance reached down and pressed the intercom button on his phone. "Set up the conference room with video equipment. It's time to make our demands." he ordered.

**************

Robbie and Heather were sitting at the dinning room table enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee together, when the front door opened.

Robbie turned his head towards the door. "Well good morning. Where were you two girls this early?" he asked with an easy smile on his face.

Lilly turned to Miley. Neither one of them were looking forward to this conversation.

Heather immediately recognized the discomfort on the girls' faces. "Girls, what's wrong?" she asked softly, suddenly not sure if she wanted to know. The girls looked uncomfortable and that was never a good sign.

Lilly turned back towards her parents. "Can you guys come sit down. We need to talk." she said calmly, but certainly not feeling that way.

Heather glanced at Robbie and the two adults quickly rose from their chairs and headed over to the living room to take seats on the couch.

Miley sat down on the chair and pulled her girlfriend onto her lap and wrapped her arms around the surfer's midsection.

Lilly wrapped her arms around Miley's shoulders and turned to look at her parents. The girls knew this was going to be an incredibly difficult conversation to have with their parents. Lilly decided that it would be best to just come out with it. "Oliver's missing." she choked out, as she tightened her grip on her girlfriend.

Heather gasped. "Oh my God." she said as she grabbed Robbie's hand.

Miley watched Heather's reaction and knew that her father's would be far worse. "And…so are Jackson and Jordan." she slowly added, tears forming in her eyes once more.

Robbie chuckled slightly. "No, there was a note on his door this morning." he pointed out, thinking the girls were being a little paranoid.

Lilly nodded her head. "I know. After I got a call from Oliver's mother, we tried to call Jackson to warn him that something might be going on. When he didn't answer his phone, Miley tried to contact him. When that didn't work either, we went over to Jordan's apartment to check up on him." she explained, but couldn't find her voice to tell them what the girls had found at the apartment.

Miley looked up at her father. "We found Mark. He's dead." she said tonelessly.

Robbie shook his head, unable or unwilling to believe what his girls were trying to tell him. "No." he hoarsely whispered. "This can't be happening." He had just endured almost losing the woman he loved, now he was in danger of losing his son less than eight hours later.

Heather wrapped her arm around her future husband, knowing that this news could possible break the kind southerner. "What should we do?" she asked out loud to anyone willing to give her an answer.

Lilly looked at her mother with sad eyes. Miley had asked her a similar question not long ago. "I don't think there's anything we can do. We don't know where they are…and Miley can't reach Jackson." as she added the last part, she dropped her eyes to the floor. The surfer couldn't stand the thought of what Miley not being able to reach Jackson could possibly mean.

Robbie sat in stunned silence, unable to speak. Heather could see that Robbie was only moments away from falling apart. The older blonde looked back at the girls. "Does that mean…?" She left her question hanging, not wanting to say the words, hoping that if she didn't say them, then they couldn't possibly be true.

Lilly looked to her lover, knowing that only the singer could answer that question. "It's…possible. I guess." she hesitantly answered and watched as the despair on her father's face seemed to double in intensity. Miley quickly amended her answer. "Or he could just be unconscious. Or maybe he's just really far away. It's not like I'm an expert at this long distance mind reading thing." she pointed out, which was true. The singer had only used her power in this way for the first time a few hours ago.

Robbie could hear the uncertainty in his daughter's voice. She wasn't trying to hide anything from him, but she honestly couldn't tell him if Jackson was alive or not. The country singer couldn't take it anymore. He had to get away. He pulled out of Heather's grasp and stood up from the couch. "I'm just gonna head upstairs for a little while." he mumbled quietly and quickly made his way up the stairs.

Heather watched as the love of her life ran from the living room. "Robbie?" she asked, knowing that she had no words to take away his pain. She looked back at her daughters momentarily.

Lilly closed her eyes. "Go." she instructed her mother, knowing that the girls had told them everything they could already.

Heather stood from the couch and hurried to chase after her future husband.

Miley and Lilly sat there quietly holding one another. Each lost in their own thoughts. Lilly was trying to think of a way for them to find their friends. Meanwhile, Miley was thinking back to the events of the morning.

Miley knew that this wasn't the best time to bring this up, but she needed to talk about it. The singer gently stroked the blonde's hair as she spoke. "Lil?" she softly said.

Lilly was content in her position curled on Miley's lap with her head resting on the brunette's shoulder. "Yeah baby?" she answered.

Miley took a deep breath. She wasn't sure how Lilly was going to react to her question. "Can I ask you a question?" she asked, still stroking the blonde's hair.

Lilly furrowed her brow in confusion. "Of course you can." she replied.

It took a few seconds for Miley to gather her courage. "What happened after I left your house last night?" she asked quietly.

Lilly's eyes went wide and she sat up quickly to look at the singer. "What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes betraying the surfer to her lover.

Miley saw the panic in the blonde's eyes, but forged ahead nonetheless. "What did you do to end up covered in someone's blood?" she prodded.

Lilly got up from Miley's lap and began pacing around the living room. "Well, I…I thought mom was dead…so I…I punched him in the chest." she explained, unwilling to lie to her lover about what she had done.

Miley carefully considered what her girlfriend had just told her. She tipped her head to the side. "Using most of your strength?" It was more of an accusation than a question.

Lilly shrugged. She hadn't thought twice about doing it at the time. She was too angry to care. "My hand came out the back of his body." she replied, as she searched her lover's eyes for signs of disgust.

Miley closed her eyes. "Oh Lilly." she sighed.

Lilly couldn't read Miley's face, but disapproval loomed heavily in the air. Lilly turned away from her lover and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're upset with me for what I did, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

Miley watched Lilly's body language and knew that whatever the singer said next could have dangerous ramifications. "Yes and no." she replied honestly as she stood up from the chair and walked over to stand behind the surfer. "I understand why you did it. I know your mother killed those four people in her bedroom. I know it was self defense, but…I just don't like violence. It's not who I am." she tried to explain.

Lilly spun around, a comeback poised on her lips, but before she could say a word, Miley gently placed two fingers on her lips to keep her quiet. "And I don't think I can do that, take someone's life, even if it is to protect our family." she said sadly.

Lilly reached up and pulled Miley's fingers from her lips, then leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her lips. When the surfer pulled back, she stared into the chocolate brown eyes she loved dearly. "Then I'm the offense and you're the defense. And I will do everything in my power to make sure you never have to be faced with that decision." she vowed.

Miley leaned her head against the surfer's. "Does that make me a coward?" she whispered softly.

Lilly couldn't believe that Miley thought that for a single second. "For not being able to take someone's life?" she asked.

Miley nodded. "Yes."

Lilly shook her head. "No baby, it makes you a good person." she told her girlfriend.

Now it was Miley's turn to be shocked by what her girlfriend thought of herself. The singer narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "Lilly, you're a good person." she stated adamantly.

Lilly shook her head. "No, I'm a selfish person. I put the safety of my family above all else." she told her girlfriend in earnest. "But I won't apologize for who I am." she said they lowered her eyes away from Miley's. "I just...hope you can accept that." she added.

Miley could tell that the surfer was terrified that the singer might actually say that she couldn't. "Of course I can." she said, raising a hand to cup the surfer's cheek. "But can you promise me one thing?"

Lilly would do anything for the singer. "What's that?" she asked softly, praying that she wouldn't ask the surfer not to take another life, because the blonde knew that was one promise that she simply couldn't make to her lover.

Miley stroked the surfer's cheek with her thumb. "If you can keep us safe without…taking a life, would you please _try_ to always take that route instead? Like you did in the dressing room in Vegas?" she asked hesitantly.

Lilly's smile slowly grew. Now that was a promise she would make willingly. "I promise." the surfer said as she leaned in to kiss the singer.

Miley sighed, relieved to get that conversation out of the way. "Thank you. Now, can we go back upstairs and lay down for a bit?" the singer asked, her body still not yet having recovered from the high amounts of energy she had expelled earlier.

Lilly leaned down and picked Miley up off the floor and cradled the singer in her arms. "Your wish is my command." the surfer said as she carried the singer back upstairs to their bed.

*************

Heather found Robbie sitting on the edge of the bed with his head buried in his hands. As she listened to him cry, her heart broke. Last time this happened, Jackson was moving out of the house. Heather at least had a clue about how to console him about empty nest syndrome. How do you comfort someone who doesn't know if their child is dead or alive?

Heather approached the country singer slowly and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Robbie?" she said softly.

Heather gasped as saw the swollen, blood shot eyes turn to look up at her pleadingly. "Where's it gonna end Heather?" he whined, as a fresh wave of tears fell from his eyes.

Heather sat next to him on the bed and pulled him into her arms. "I don't know sweetheart." she said, as the blonde felt her own eyes start to water.

Robbie kept his head pressed against her neck. "How many people are they going to hurt before they get what they want?" he whined quietly.

Heather's body went rigid at that statement. Did Robbie want them to trade Lilly's life for Jackson's? "Do you think we should let them have Lilly?" she questioned hesitantly, wondering if maybe they weren't quite the family she originally thought they were.

Robbie gulped as he realized what he had said and the way it must have sounded to Heather. He sat back and shook his head repeatedly. "God no darlin. I just…I just want them to leave us alone. All of us. You. Me. The girls. Jackson." he said as another wave of tears hit the country singer. "What have we ever done to anybody? The girls don't abuse their powers. They don't steal. They don't hurt people." he cried adamantly.

Heather leaned forward and tried to kiss away his tears. "I know." she sighed softly.

"I just want my son back and my family safe. Why is that so much to ask?" he moaned as he buried his head in the blonde's neck, unable to stop the tears or the pain in his chest.

Heather gently stroked his hair, wishing she could give him an answer to his question. "I don't know cowboy. I wish I did."

**************

A little bit after noon, the doorbell rang.

Heather made her way downstairs towards the front door. As she opened the door, she was greeted by a middle aged man in a UPS uniform.

The man looked up from his clipboard with a slight smile. "Hi. Delivery for Heather and Lilly Truscott." he said formally.

Heather nodded her head. "I'm Heather Truscott." she said.

The man turned his clip board around and offered it to her. "Please sign on the line ma'am."

Heather did as she was instructed, then the gentleman handed her a manila envelope. "Have a nice day ma'am." he said, then turned and walked away.

Heather examined the envelope. It was 5x7 and flat. It seemed to have a CD inside of it. There was no return address. Heather opened the envelope to find a shiny silver disc inside. The CD had no special markings on it, but simply read 'play me' on the front of it in black marker.

Heather's breath caught in her throat as realization dawned on her. This could be from the Shop.

Heather closed the door and quickly walked over to the stairs. "Robbie! Lilly! Miley!" she called up the stairs. "I need you all to come downstairs." she said.

After a minute, all three other members of the house made their way to the living room. Miley looking like she had just woken up from a nap.

"What's wrong darlin?" Robbie asked as he took a seat next to her on the couch, his face still red.

Heather held up the disc to show her family. "This just came for Lilly and I." she said.

Miley sat on the other side of Heather and Lilly took the disc from her mother's hands and put it in the DVD player.

Lilly squeezed in on the far end of the couch next to Miley and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

Robbie picked up the remote for the entertainment unit and pressed play.

The family watched as the blue DVD welcome screen was quickly replaced by a man dressed in a military uniform sitting behind a rectangular desk with his hands clasped in front of him on the table. After a few seconds, the man began to speak.

"Greetings Truscott's and I would imagine Stewart's as well. Now, I don't know how you feel about all these games, but I am tiring of them. I have lost 7 agents in the past twenty four hours and I am not happy about it." he said, then the screen flashed to a security video of Jackson, Jordan, Joannie, and Oliver huddled closely together in a jail cell. After a few seconds, the picture changed back to Maverick.

"Now as you can see, we are currently in possession of several people you might care about. Today at 4:00 P.M., there will be a black cargo van parked in parking lot near Rico's. Heather and Lilly will open the back door and climb in. You will do nothing foolish. An agent will administer an injection to render you unconscious for the duration of transport. If any of my agents in the van are harmed, I will kill your friends. If you do not show up for the van by 4:01, I will start killing one of your friends for every minute you are late." he said, his eyes cold and hard.

"I hope my instructions are easy to follow. 4 P.M. Don't be late." he instructed as the screen faded to black.

It was now 12:23 P.M.

Heather turned to Robbie. "What are we going to do?" she asked, her voice full of fear.

Robbie lifted a hand to rub his chin in thought. "What choices do we have?" he questioned back, trying to get them all talking, his eyes still puffy and red from crying.

Lilly stood up from the couch. "We do what he says." she insisted.

Miley stood up next to her, now fully awake after watching the threatening video. "Like hell you will." she shot back. The brunette wasn't just going to watch as her girlfriend willingly surrender herself to the enemy.

Lilly whipped around to glare at Miley. "What are we supposed to do? Let them die?" she argued back. "Those are our brothers Miley." she said, pointing to the television.

Miley held her ground as she crossed her arms in front of her chest defiantly. "I won't let you do this by yourself." she growled. "They still don't know about me."

Lilly threw her hands in the air and rolled her eyes. "They're not just going to let me take a friend along for the ride." she replied sarcastically.

Miley stared at her girlfriend with disbelieving eyes. "Super girl with the crazy ideas say what?" she demanded. "You can come up with a plan to get us out of an airplane at 10,000 feet but you can't think of a way to sneak me on a van ride with you." she argued. "Are you serious?" she said, then walked forward and put her hands on the blonde's neck, her eyes narrowed. "I'm going with you this afternoon, one way or another."

Robbie Ray watched his girls arguing and decided it was time to intervene. Despite his fear of losing Jackson, losing his entire family certainly wasn't an option either. "Alright, everybody calm down." he said. "You guys are missing the point."

Both girls turned to look at their father and waited for him to continue.

The girls all watched the video as a sign of impending doom, while Robbie saw it as a beacon of hope. "First off, the video footage of the kids showed us something very important. They were all _**alive**_." he said, emphasizing the last word to make sure everyone understood how important that one single detail was.

After Robbie spoke, it was like a light clicked on in both girls' minds. "You're right." Miley said, her eyes widening with the realization of what that meant.

Lilly turned to her girlfriend with a smile on her face. "And awake." she added, and watched as Miley closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

_Jackson?_

_Miley!! Thank god. Some goons kidnapped us. _

_I know. I tried to reach you sooner, but…I couldn't. _

_Yeah, they knocked me out. _He regretfully informed her.

_Do you know where you are? _The singer asked.

_Some military type base in a jail cell. _Jackson told her.

_Is everyone else ok? _She asked, knowing it would be pretty difficult to mentally speak with the others, although she might be able to make it work with Oliver.

_Yeah, we're all fine right now. _He happily told her.

Miley decided that it was important that Jackson knew everything that was happening. _They want Lilly and Heather. _She told her brother.

Jackson briefly considered what his sister had told him. He pretty much figured that the Shop would ransom their lives for Lilly's. Although, the fact that the Shop wanted mom was slightly unexpected. _Well, we're never going to get out of here without you, so you do whatever you have to do to get here._

Miley knew that her brother was right. _Alright. We'll work on a plan. I'll talk to you again in a bit. I love you._

Jackson felt better after talking to his sister. _Love you too sis._

Miley opened her eyes with a smile on her face. "Jackson and the others are fine." she told them happily. She watched as her father pumped his fist in silent victory. "But he doesn't have a clue where they are." she informed them.

Lilly reached forward and took the singer's hand. "Did he have anything else to say that might help us?" the surfer wondered. Jackson always was helpful with ideas.

Miley nodded her head. "Well, he pointed out that we have to get to where they are." she said. "I think that means we need to take the van ride...somehow." she added regretfully.

Robbie stood up from the couch. Now his girls were starting to use their heads. "Okay, let's walk through this. They want to shoot you up with drugs when you get into the van. Probably use the stuff the Roxy told me about. Imobatine. She said it could knock out an elephant."

Heather and Lilly eyed each other nervously. Neither one of them liked the sound of that.

Robbie didn't notice the girls' concerned looks and forged ahead with his thought process. "And if you fight or refuse, they're going to kill the kids." he said, then looked at each of the girls. "So you need to get in that van and either take that injection or fake it really damn well." he said poignantly.

Heather looked up at Robbie. "I certainly can't fake it." she pointed out sadly.

Lilly looked her mother, knowing that she was going to have to be the one to make the biggest sacrifice. "I could try to help you." the blonde said, offering an alternative to her mother. "As long as I was touching you, the needle could pass straight through your body." as she finished, the surfer patiently waited to hear her mother's reaction.

Heather finally stood from the couch and stepped over in front of Lilly. She gently ran her hands up and down her daughter's strong arms. "But you can't control my body the way you do your own. Someone would probably try and grab hold of my arm and fall right through me." she pointed out. "I'll take the injection." she stated firmly.

Robbie couldn't stand the thought of something happening to Heather after everything the girls had gone through to save her only hours ago. "No!" he shouted. "What if its meant to kill you?" the country singer argued.

Heather took a step away from Lilly and turned to stand in front of Robbie. The look on her face was firm, but sad. "I won't let those kids die." she said, shaking her head. "And if my life is the price to pay, then so be it." she vowed softly.

Robbie was in awe of her courage and conviction, but horrified by what she was willing to sacrifice. Robbie tried to think of any reason to make her reconsider. "But…" he tried to say, but was stopped as Heather placed a soft kiss on his lips.

Heather shook her head once again. "No buts. It's the right thing to do." she told the gentle southerner.

Robbie dropped his eyes to the floor. He knew Heather had made up her mind. And what meant even more, was that he knew she was willing to do this because his son's life was one of those hanging in the balance. If he wasn't already in love her, he would have fallen right then and there. Robbie swallowed and accepted Heather's decision. "Alright." he said quietly. "So, does Lilly take the shot?" he asked, looking over at his daughters.

Lilly scoffed at the idea. If they were going to have any hope of saving their friends, they definitely couldn't afford to have the surfer out of commission. "Hell no. I'll fake it and pretend to pass out." the blonde answered back. "I can't make Miley do all the work." she added, giving her girlfriend a sly grin.

Robbie nodded his head. The plan was starting to come together. As much as he didn't like the idea, surrendering Heather's power was the only thing they could afford to lose. They had to have Lilly on the offensive because Robbie knew that his little girl just didn't have the killer instinct and could never do something like this on her own. But at the same time, Miley had to be there because he was certain that Lilly couldn't pull it off on her own either. It was just like everything else in their lives. They needed each other.

"Alright." he said, moving on to the next point of discussion. "How do Miley and I get there?"

Heather started waving her arms. "Woah, woah, woah. You ain't coming cowboy." If she was going to possibly be sacrificing herself, she certainly wasn't going to let him try to do the same thing.

Robbie tried to explain his reasoning to her. "I am not going to argue about me going inside whatever this place is, there's no doubt that I would only be a liablity, but don't you think it would be a good idea if someone knew where the hell y'all were? Geographically speaking at least?" he said. The country singer was concerned that if something happened, they could all just disappear and no one would have a clue. It would be like letting a mobster take you for a drive in the desert.

Miley considered what her father was saying. If it were just a question of seeing where the van went, Miley could do that from the air. "I don't think that flying above the van will work." she warned. "I need to be able to get into wherever it is they'll be taking you." she said, looking at her creative girlfriend for ideas.

Heather shrugged. Then that brought them back to their original problem. "Then that means you need to be in the van with us." she said to the singer.

Lilly got this possessed glint in her eyes and stepped forward to cup Miley's cheek. "Or under it." she whispered softly.

Miley immediately caught on to her girlfriend's suggestion. She turned her head to kiss the hand on her cheek. "Now there's my crazy lil flower with the insane ideas." she replied with a hundred watt smile.

Lilly nodded. "If Miley rides under the van, she can leave a trail on the road that dad can follow."

Robbie stared amazed at the small blonde. "Where the hell do you come up with this shit?" he asked, in awe of her ingenuity.

Lilly smiled widely as she was finally beginning to feel like they had a fighting chance against the Shop. "I've got a really good imagination." she answered the country singer, then turned and gave Miley a wink. "Just ask your daughter." she added wickedly.

* * *

**Good imagination...heh...there's an understatement. Alright...time to go balls first down the ice chute....figuritively speaking of course...oh, and next chapter we are going to find out what happened to...you don't really want me to tell you, do you? I'm sure you can guess without me telling you...and if not...you only got a wait another day or two to find out. Hope you enjoyed. Expect next chapter to be sad and yet exciting at the same time...Love to read your thoughts and comments. Peace and Love. -Jess**


	17. Ch 16 Time

**Alrighty then...so we have a plan....and a few hours to kill...however shall we spend them....yeah, that's the whole point of this chapter...and hopefully give you a glipse at how to handle the epic question...if you knew the exact moment of your death...what would you do? Cause in essense, that's what Heather's facing...maybe. If you are the touchy feely type of person....I would recommend grabbing a couple of tissues before you start reading...cause I most certainly cried a bit while I wrote it. Please enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 16 **- **Time**

**Malibu California; June 10, 2009**

**1:05 P.M.**

Once the family had decided on the details of their plan. Both couples went their separate ways.

Heather and Robbie agreed that if this were possibly their final hours together, then they would enjoy what time that had left making love to one another and disappeared into their bedroom.

As Lilly and Miley made their way to their own bedroom, the surfer was almost certain that her lover had amorous activities in mind for them as well. The hand that wandered up and down the surfer's backside as they had climbed the stairs was a dead giveaway.

Lilly walked in to their bedroom first with Miley close behind. The singer closed the door then leaned against it. "Make love to me." the singer softly requested in a thick accent.

The sound of the singer's low husky southern twang, nearly caused the surfer to climax on the spot. Lilly had to let the shudder pass through her body before she could respond to the singer. The blonde slowly turned around and faced her lover. This was one of the hardest things Lilly had ever had to do. For as long as the blonde could remember, she had never denied the singer anything.

Lilly closed her eyes, unwilling to watch Miley's facial reaction. "Baby, we can't." she replied softly.

Miley stood in stunned silence for a few seconds. Lilly had **_never_** turned down her advances before. And it made even less sense after she had just watched her girlfriend almost climax from her voice alone. "W-what?" she said, clearly not understanding the surfer's refusal.

Lilly walked forward and raised a hand up to Miley's cheek. "Baby, you're still tired from this morning." she explained softly.

Miley's stubbornness made an appearance as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared defiantly at her lover. "No, I'm not." she said with a pout.

Lilly knew Miley wouldn't be happy with her decision, but the surfer needed to make her understand that it was the right thing to do. Lilly put her hands on Miley's arms and pulled them apart then wrapped them around her waist. Then Lilly put her arms around the singer's neck as she looked in the brunette's gorgeous brown eyes. "How would you feel if you were too tired to use your powers tonight? What if it resulted in us losing someone we cared about?" she said softly, but with totally seriousness.

Miley's eyes dropped from her lover's as she considered the blonde's words. "I hadn't thought about that." she mumbled quietly.

Lilly slipped her hands down around the singer's lower back. "Baby, nothing…" the surfer began and then pulled their bodies tight against each other with her strong arms. "and I do mean nothing in my life has ever compared to making love to you and nothing ever will." she vowed, as she leaned in and punctuated the statement with a brief kiss on the singer's lips. Then the blonde nuzzled the brunette's cheek with her nose. "But I could never live with the guilt if our love cost us someone we love." she regretfully informed the singer, then pulled back from the singer to look in her eyes once more. Lilly saw understanding and sadness in the soft brown eyes.

Miley took a deep breath. Everything Lilly said was true, whether Miley wanted to admit it or not. Miley decided she would ask for a compromise instead. The singer moved her hands from behind the surfer's back to her hips and grabbed the sides of her shirt. "Would you lay naked with me instead?" she asked as her grip on the t-shirt tightened.

Lilly chuckled softly, she could tell how hard Miley was trying to reign in her desire. "Will you promise to be good?" the surfer teased as she brought her hands to rest on top of the singer's, not willing to let her continue without a promise first.

Miley sighed and took a deep breath, trying desperately to calm her eager body. "We can still cuddle, right?" she whined softly.

Lilly squeezed her hands gently. "Yeah, but only if you promise to be good." she said once more.

Miley nodded her head in agreement. Lilly released her grip on the singer's hands and raised her arms above her head. As the singer lifted the t-shirt over the surfer's head, so couldn't believe how strange everything seemed. "This conversation seems so backwards for some reason." she mumbled quietly as she continued to remove the rest of Lilly's clothing.

After Miley was done, Lilly quickly removed Miley's clothes and they climbed into bed together. Miley let the blonde lay on her back then rubbed her leg up and down the surfer's. Before she laid her head down, she looked over at the surfer. "Is a little kissing permitted?" she asked in a small voice.

Miley was just playing dirty now. Using the innocent little girl voice. "Okay." the surfer relented. "Key word being little."

Despite what the surfer was expecting, the singer's kiss was very slow and tender. There was some gentle body caressing that went along with the kiss, but the singer kept everything soft and loving.

After a minute, she finally pulled back and snuggled under the blonde's arm. Placing a gentle kiss on the breast near her mouth, Miley closed her eyes. _I love you Lilly_. She thought as she began slowly tracing her index finger over the outline of the surfer's defined abdominal muscles.

Lilly smiled as she softly ran her hand up and down the singer's back, alternating between scratching and stroking. "And I love you Miley."

***************

**1:31 P.M.**

It took all of five minutes before Miley was softly snoring on the surfer's shoulder.

Lilly wasn't particularly tired, so she turned the television on to distract her. After channel surfing for a few minutes, she came across an entertainment program that had just put up a picture of Jake Ryan.

Lilly realized that she had no idea what had happened to him after she jumped out of the plane. Her dad and brother didn't mention him when they came home. _'Out of sight, out of mind i guess_.' she thought to herself.

A pretty blonde woman began speaking. "And the entertainment world received quite a shock this morning. Teenage heartthrob Jake Ryan stunned both family and fans alike today as he willingly signed himself into the Stonybrook Institution early this morning citing paranoid delusions and hallucinations. No word yet on whether or not the young actor will be tested for drug use or not. The following statement was released from his management a short time ago."

The screen flashed blue with the following words in white writing. "Jake has been under a lot of stress in his personal life recently. He has not partaken of any illegal activities, nor has he used any illegal substances. He would like to apologize to his fans and tell them that just needs some rest."

Lilly closed her eyes. "Oh God Jake, what have you done?" she softly whispered. He locked himself up, but also told them exactly where to find him. The boy was a sitting duck for the Shop.

Lilly turned the television off and set down the remote. She snuggled closer to her girlfriend, content to enjoy the warmth and comfort of her girlfriend's loving embrace.

**3:15 P.M. **

Lilly softly stroked the singer's cheek. "Come on baby. Time to save the world." she whispered, trying to wake Miley from her nap.

Miley heard her girlfriend's words and cracked open one eye.

Lilly leaned down and gently kissed her lips. "It's time to get ready." the surfer unfortunately reported.

Miley yawned as she sat up in bed. "Do you really think this is going to work?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Lilly had been getting up from the bed when she heard the brunette's question. The surfer turned around and leaned back on the bed on one knee as she raised a hand to the singer's cheek. "What do we always say?" she cooed as she stroked the singer's cheek.

Miley closed her eyes at the loving touch. "That we can do anything as long as we're together."

Lilly grinned as she leaned forward to give the singer one last kiss. "And don't you ever forget it." she said as she released the singer and got off the bed. "Why don't you give Jackson a heads up?" she said as she made her way towards the bathroom.

The singer closed her eyes and thought about her brother. _Jackson?_

_Hey sis. What's going on? _Miley could almost sense her brother's relief at hearing her voice again.

_The van is picking Heather and Lilly up at 4. I'm going to hitch a ride and leave a trail for dad, just in case. _She said, outlining the details of their plan to her brother.

_Hitch a ride? _Jackson questioned curiously_._

Miley chuckled at her brother's confusion_. Ride underneath the van._

Once again, the singer could almost _feel _her brother chuckle. _That sounds like a Lilly special right there_.

_So, as soon as we get there, I'll give you a heads up, alright? _Miley promised him.

_I'll feel better once you're here. _Jackson informed her.

Miley smiled at her brother's faith in them. _So will we. Love you Jackson._

_Love you too sis. Tell Lil I love her. We'll be waiting._

Miley opened her eyes to see the blonde coming out of the bathroom. "Told him I'd call him when we got there." she said, then smiled knowingly. "And he said to tell you he loves you." she happily informed the surfer.

Lilly grinned in response as she walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of ripped jeans. "Alright. Let's get you skater-ed up." she said, tossing the jeans on the bed.

After a few minutes, Lilly ran a critical eye up and down her girlfriend. Miley had on a pair of stone washed jeans with various holes on the knees and thighs, She had on a tight white t-shirt that said 'Sheddin' across the chest and a navy blue zip up hoodie. Miley had put her hair under a wig cap and was wearing Lola's white wig to further disguise her normal appearance. Once she put a helmet on and a pair of sunglasses, there was no way anyone would recognize her. "Perfect." the surfer sighed contentedly at her lover's disguise.

Miley looked at her reflection in the stand up mirror. The singer turned back to regard her girlfriend. "Are you sure they won't recognize me?" she asked worriedly.

The surfer scoffed at the question. "Dressed like this? No way in hell. Once you put the helmet on a pair of shades, ain't no one gonna have a clue." she replied, taking the singer's hand and leading her out of the bedroom.

**3:41 P.M.**

All four members of the Stewart household had made the way to the living room to discuss the plan one last time.

Lilly pointed at the deck. "Alright, so dad you'll watch from the deck. Remember, we're going to leave a trail, so make sure you give them a big enough of a head start so they don't know you're following them." she reminded the country singer.

Robbie nodded as he felt his eyes start to water at the prospect of letting the women of his life leave the safety of their home to head into dangerous territory. "I promise I won't." he said, as he turned to the first of his girls to leave. Robbie couldn't stop himself from chuckling at how weird it was to see his baby girl dressed so strangely. Robbie wrapped his arms around his little girl and gave her a tight squeeze. "You be careful bud." he told her.

Miley sighed, wishing in vain that her father's loving arms could protect from all the evil in the world. "I will daddy." she replied as she nuzzled against his strong shoulder.

Robbie leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I love you darlin." he said. _Please come back to me. _He thought wistfully.

Miley heard his thoughts, but chose not to comment on them. She gave her father one final squeeze. "I love you too daddy." the singer said as she pulled away from her father and turned to look at her lover.

Lilly eyed her carefully, knowing that she had taught the singer a few skateboarding moves over the years, but could only hope that it was enough. "You got this?" she asked with a thumbs up gesture.

Miley returned the thumbs up. "I got this." she said confidently, then stepped forward to give her lover one last kiss. "I'll talk to you soon." she promised.

Lastly, Miley turned to Heather. "Mom, I…" she began, but stopped when Heather tapped her temple.

_You help take care of this family. _She instructed the singer. _And don't ever stop loving my little girl._

Miley bit her lip as she tried to keep herself from crying. The singer dove into Heather's arms. "I love you so much mom. I can't imagine life without you here." she said into the older blonde's ear.

Heather kissed Miley's cheek as she pulled away from the tight embrace. "Alright you. You've got work to do. Hopefully, I'll be seeing you soon. I love you Miley." she said, then pushed her second daughter towards the door.

Miley picked up Lilly's spare skateboard and headed out the door to get into position.

**3:47 P.M.**

Robbie glanced over at the clock and knew they had to hurry. Being late was simply not an option. The country singer opened his arms as the little blonde rushed into them. Robbie lifted the small blonde up off the floor and hugged her tightly, knowing that if anyone was going to bring his family home, it would be her. "You take care of them, you hear?" he said.

Lilly closed her eyes tightly. Robbie Ray truly was everything a father should be. "I will railroad." she promised the older man.

Robbie set the surfer back on the floor and brought a hand up to her cheek. "Remember, your mine just as much as they are. I love you kiddo." he said sweetly, he leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

Lilly felt her eyes water at the kiss and dove forward to wrap her arms around him one last time. "I love you too dad." she said, then pulled back with a smile. She turned to look at her mother, knowing their goodbye would be the hardest. "I'll be outside." she said while wiping her watery eyes, and headed for the front door.

**3:49 P.M.**

As Lilly closed the front door, Robbie walked over to stand in front of Heather. He shook his head. "How do you say goodbye to the rest of your life?" he asked her softly.

Heather sighed softly. "Oh Robbie." she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Robbie leaned down and gave her a brief kiss. "You are the most amazing woman I have ever met." he said, then raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Susan forgive me." he said, then looked back into Heather's beautiful blue eyes. "But I don't know if I can live without you." he told her honestly.

Heather fought hard against the tears trying to escape from her eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "If the kids make it back, you'll be fine." she promised him.

Robbie shook his head. He knew that if he had to go on for the children, he would, but it wouldn't be the same if Heather wasn't at his side. "I want you. Now and forever." he said, his voice breaking. "I want us. Together." he said as a tear slid down his cheek.

Despite their earlier lovemaking, Heather felt her body flush at the warm words of love from her future husband. Heather grabbed the back of the southerner's neck and smashed their lips together for possibly the last time. She desperately tried to memorize everything about the country singer before pulling away from him. "God I love you." she told him.

Robbie pulled her close for one last hug. "And I love you." he said, then added in a whisper. "Forever and always."

Heather glanced at the clock, knowing she still needed to leave time for one final goodbye. "I have to go." she told him regretfully.

Robbie nodded his head in understanding. She still had to tell her baby goodbye. "I know. I'll be waiting. Forever if I have to." He promised her.

Heather reluctantly pulled away from the man she loved and made her way towards the front door. She turned her head one last time. "Do yourself a favor and call Roxy." she said, hoping a friend would help ease his troubled mind.

Robbie nodded his head. "I think I will." he said as he watched her walk out the front door. Robbie pulled out his cell phone and dialed Roxy's number. As he put the phone to his ear, he picked up the binoculars sitting on the piano and headed out to the deck to possibly watch his entire life disappear right before his very eyes.

**3:53 P.M.**

Lilly looked up at her mother as she closed the front door. "You okay?" the surfer asked softly as she reached out to take her mother's hand.

Heather pressed her lips together and nodded her head. "It's hard not knowing if its your last goodbye, ya know?" she tried to joke.

Lilly knew that they were almost out of time. The surfer looked in her mother's eyes and spoke from her heart. "You've been my best friend forever, you know that, right?" she said earnestly.

Heather couldn't stop the tears from falling this time. This was her baby. "Oh angel." the older blonde said as she reached out to stroke the surfer's blonde hair.

Lilly leaned into her mother's touch as the first tear slid down her cheek. "Miley's right. I can't imagine my life without you." she said shaking her head. Her mother had been everything to her all these years. And the thought of having that suddenly taken away, chilled her to the bone.

Heather leaned forward and rested her forehead against her daughter's. "No matter what, you'll still have Miley." she reminded her daughter. And Heather truly believed that as long as the girls were together, they could survive anything.

Lilly shook her head adamantly. "But I want you both." she whined with a little girl pout on her face.

Heather couldn't stop from laughing at the look on her daughter's face. Even after all these years, she was still too precious for words sometimes. "We'll just have to see what happens." she said as she wrapped her little girl in a hug.

Lilly squeezed her eyes tight against the possibility that this could be her last conversation with her mother. "I love you mom." she whispered through her tears.

Heather pulled back and kissed her daughter's cheek. "I love you too angel. You save as many of them as you can." she instructed.

Lilly nodded her head. "I will."

Heather glared hard at her daughter. "Do whatever it takes." she ordered in a commanding voice.

Lilly felt a tingle down the back of her neck at her mother's orders. "Yes ma'am." she replied.

Heather's face softened and she stroked the blonde's cheek. "You ready?" she asked.

The surfer looked at her mother with the eyes of a child. "No?" she said meekly.

Heather smiled knowingly and wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulder. "Too bad. It's time to go." she said as the two blondes headed towards Rico's parking lot.

**3:57 P.M.**

As mother and daughter made their way to the parking lot, Lilly's eyes were drawn to her girlfriend doing an ollie onto the sidewalk, not far from the black van. 'Yep, no one would ever guess that was Hannah Montana.' She thought.

A man in a black suit with a buzz cut and sunglasses was leaning against the side of the van. "Early I see." he said as he looked down at his watch.

Heather glared at the man. "Late wasn't an option as I recall." she sneered back.

The man laughed mirthlessly. "No, it wasn't." he agreed, then pulled open the back of the van. "Get in." he instructed, gesturing towards the open door.

The blondes climbed in and the door was quickly shut behind them.

In the back of the van were two more men. One skinny and one heavyset. The larger man pointed a gun at the two women. The skinny man opened a small metal case and removed a small syringe and a tiny bottle. He put the needle into the bottle and slowly pulled back on the plunger, filling the syringe with a clear liquid.

The man with the gun pointed towards Lilly. "Get it over with." he said.

The man took a step forward only to be stopped in his tracks when the surfer grabbed his wrist. "No. I watch first." she said, nodding towards her mother. "If she dies, your lives are forfeit." she growled menacingly.

Heather gasped as she heard what her daughter said. This wasn't part of the original plan.

The man holding the syringe was visibly frightened of the smaller blonde. Aside from the stories he had been told about her abilities, he could feel from her grip that she could back up her threat if she so chose. He raised terrified eyes up to meet the cold hard stare of the smaller blonde. "They'll kill your friends if you harm us." he tried reminding her.

The larger man tried cocking his gun, hoping to intimidate the small blonde. Lilly turned her eyes to the man with the gun and glared at him. "If she dies, I don't have anything left to live for anyway." she spat angrily. "And that little gun certainly won't save you." she added for good measure.

Heather shivered involuntarily at her daughter's words. If she weren't the girl's mother, Heather'd be frightened of the surfer as well.

The skinny man finally nodded his head in agreement.

Lilly released his wrist and watched as he administered the shot to Heather. As soon as the plunger completed its decent down the syringe, the older blonde's eyes rolled in her head and she crumpled to the floor of the cargo van.

Lilly bent down and checked her mother's pulse. It was maintaining a steady rhythm. Lilly silently thanked every higher power she could think of.

The surfer leaned back and sat on the floor. She watched as the smaller man refilled the syringe. After he finished, he looked up and seemed to be waiting for her permission. He was clearly terrified of the young girl...with good reason.

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Alright. Do it." she instructed as she held out her right arm. The surfer manipulated her body so that the man's hand felt solid flesh where it rested on her forearm, but the area where the syringe was entering her body was phased. As the man began pressing the plunger, the surfer made sure the liquid was aimed towards her white shirt, so no one would notice a stream of liquid shooting across the van. When the man finished depressing the plunger, Lilly copied her mother's actions and fell to the floor.

Lilly decided that she wanted to be as close to her lover as possible in case something happened during the trip. So she purposely made her body incredibly dense, which in turn increased her weight, making her extremely heavy and next to impossible to move.

There were two cots towards the back of the van. The smaller man picked up Heather and shifted her to one of the cots.

The larger man tried to slide his hands under Lilly's body, but it was like trying to get your hands under a steel beam. He tried to pick up her left arm which was laying by itself and he couldn't even make that move. He turned to look at the smaller man. "I can't move her." he said.

The smaller man gave him an odd look. "What?" he questioned.

He pointed towards the blonde on the floor. "You can't imagine how heavy she is." he insisted.

The smaller man went over and went through the same process the larger man had and came to the same conclusion. "Holy fuck." he said in shock.

The larger man shrugged. "Guess she's riding back to the base right where she is." he said as he made his way to the front of the van to sit in the passenger seat. "Let's go." he told the driver.

Miley watched as the tail lights of the van lit up. The singer hurried over between two parked cars and sat on the skateboard waiting for the van to pass by. She laid on her stomach and watched from beneath the parked cars as the van began to pull slowly forward.

Miley patiently waited for just the right moment. When the van passed by the parked cars, Miley used her power to propel herself underneath the van, leaving the skateboard where it was.

Now that she was safely in her position, she called out to her girlfriend. _Are you passed out? _The singer asked, not wanting to distract her if she wasn't done with her part of the plan yet.

_Yeah. You under the van?_

_Yep. How's mom?_

_Unconscious but still alive. _Miley could feel the relief in the blonde's statement.

_So far, so good. _The brunette agreed. Everything was going according to plan...so far.

_Will you be okay holding yourself up? _The surfer questioned, knowing that Miley could hold up things that weighed a lot more than she did, but was worried that the singer might still be tired from this morning's efforts.

Miley couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her face. _I'm not that fat…thank you very much. _She replied sarcastically. Then gasped softly as she saw part of an arm appear off to her right.

_Hold my hand? _The surfer asked.

Miley smiled as she reached out to grab a hold of the displaced appendage. _Always. _She mentally told the surfer.

* * *

**And we are off to see the wizard...how exciting...poor Robbie...how much must that suck to sit there and pray that any of his family comes back to him...so its time for our heroines to get some real action...needless to say we are quickly coming to the exciting climax...if I measure it out correctly, I think there's 3 more chapters to go. Love to read your thought and comments. Peace and Love. -Jess**


	18. Ch 17 Invincible

**Well, this chapter...it took me forever...trying to get the timing right between the two sequences of events just sucked. But anyway...time to go visit the Shop...it's gonna be...aw hell...just read it.**

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**Chapter 17 - Invincible **

**Miltary installation somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California; June 10, 2009**

Lilly listened intently as the men in the front of the van discussed where they should park the van.

Lilly gently squeezed Miley's hands to get her attention. _Miles? _The surfer thought.

Miley gently stroked the hand she was holding. _Yeah baby?_

_They said we're almost there._

Miley blew out a sigh of relief. Watching the pavement passing by rapidly so close to her face after all this time had started to make the singer's stomach nauseous. _Finally, we've been driving for almost two hours. _She commented after checking her watch.

_Have you talked to Jackson recently? _The surfer asked.

_No, I'll do that now. _The singer responded as she gave the hand in hers a quick squeeze.

Miley closed her eyes and pictured her brother's face. _Jackson?_

_Sis, bout time. I was starting to freak out. _He told her honestly.

_Not my fault. We've been driving for two hours. _The singer reported back.

_Jordan said it took a while to get here._

_Well, they said we're just about there._

_Do you have a game plan?_

_Making it up as we go along at this point._

_Call me if I can do anything to help._

_I will. See you soon. Love you._

_Love you too._

The van turned off the pavement and continued over a gravel road for a few seconds, before it went over a metal entryway and onto a steel plated floor. The van slowed to a halt and Lilly squeezed Miley's hand once again.

_The driver said to get ready to unload. We must be there. You ready?_

The singer's reply was short, sweet, and to the point. _No._

_Me either. _The surfer replied as she gave her lover's hand one final squeeze, then released the singer's hand and pulled her arm back inside the van.

Miley watched the blonde's hand disappear with trepidation. It was time for them to go their separate ways. The singer lowered her body to the ground and left out a small sigh of relief after having held herself in the air for the past two hours. She was suddenly very grateful for Lilly's insistence that they rested earlier rather than engaging in enjoyable but energy wasting activities.

Miley looked from side to side. On her left, there were several other vehicles parked in a row. To her right, there was open space and the nearest wall seemed to be about a hundred feet away.

Miley heard a door opened and boots click against the metal floor. The singer looked over her shoulder to see two sets of feet stepping out of the back of the van.

"Alright, get the mother unloaded." she heard a man's voice say.

Miley continued to watch as a gurney was removed from the back of the van and was quickly pushed away, off the right side of the van, towards a door against the far wall with a number five on the front of it.

The singer then watched as a second gurney was removed from the back door of the van and wheeled over extremely close up against the right side of the van, where it was locked in place. A second set of feet joined the first and the van's side door opened. Miley listened as the two men grunted and growled in frustration.

"We need assistance at the van." she heard one man say, then heard some static. He was apparently talking over a radio of some kind. "We can't move her."

The singer rolled her eyes. The love of her life could be extremely difficult when she wanted to be. Miley heard some more static and then a choppy voice reply, "What do you mean you can't move her?" the voice demanded through the device.

There was a brief pause before the man answered back. "I can't possibly describe how heavy she is." he explained. "We may need a forklift."

Miley's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand, biting the inside of her mouth to keep herself from laughing. Miley raised her eyes up to look at the underside of the van. _Can you not make them use a forklift please? I would like to get out from under this stupid van sometime soon. _She mentally encouraged her girlfriend.

Miley could feel the surfer's amusement at their current situation. _Yes dear. _She answered submissively.

Lilly slowly squirmed a bit, moving her left arm slightly and tucking her left knee up a tad, catching the attention of one of the men.

Miley heard one of the men shout. "She's moving."

"Shit. The drug must be wearing off." The other man answered back.

Lilly felt a hand pushing on her shoulder experimentally, and allowed it move her body somewhat. The surfer decided she would let them move her, but she was still going to make it difficult on them.

"Yeah, but she's a lot lighter now." one of the men said, as the surfer felt him slide his hands under her ribs.

"Get her on the gurney quick." the other one instructed.

Miley watched as the gurney shook slightly as Lilly was placed on it. The singer heard static once again and then one of the men spoke. "Disregard, we've got her moved. Heading to medical. Warn the Captain, we think she might be waking up." After the man finished speaking, the gurney headed away from the van.

Miley caught a quick glimpse of her girlfriend on the gurney. _Please be careful. _She begged her lover as she watched one of the men open a door and the other push the gurney inside it.

_I will. You too. Call me when you find the gang. _Lilly answered back.

_Will do. _Miley replied and watched as the door closed behind her lover.

Miley began looking around the garage area. She saw very few feet, which suggested that she wasn't in a highly populated area. Now that no one was immediately around the van, the singer crawled out from underneath on the left side. Miley got to her knees and slowly inched forward between the cars to get a better look around the area, trying to decide what would be the easiest way to find their friends. She could grab a guard and force him to take her to where they were. Or she could run around aimlessly and hope she found them. Or she could try randomly reading minds until she found someone with information that would help her.

Miley sighed. The singer wasn't sure she could pull off intimidating a guard. But it was her best chance to get to her brother and friends as quickly as possible.

Miley noticed on the far end of the line of vehicles stood a single set of feet. The brunette got back on her stomach and used her power to float her body underneath seven vans, until she was under the last one at the end of the line.

Miley surveyed the immediate area one last time. Coast was clear. The singer used her power to pull the guard on his back, then slide him under the van, while keeping his mouth firmly closed in the process.

Miley really didn't think she could pull off verbally intimidating someone as well as her girlfriend, but then she realized that she could do her intimidating in very a different way.

_Where are the teenagers that they brought in earlier today?_

As the guard heard the voice in his head, his eyes went wide. _Holy fuck. I must be losing my mind. _He thought to himself as he blinked his eyes repeatedly, desperately trying to wake himself from his nightmare.

Miley reached down and grabbed the guard shirt and gave him a slight shake_. I can assure you this is very real. Now answer my question if you ever want to get out from under this van._

The guard started piecing together his situation. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. And it was clearly due to the white haired girl staring down at him, who apparently could get inside his head. The guard didn't waste another minute before answering the singer. _The brig! _His mind screamed at her.

Miley nodded her head. _Where is it?_

By this point, the guard was terrified to think of what the white haired girl might do if he didn't cooperate, so he gave up the information quickly. _Access door 3. Turn left. Second door on the right._

_You've been most helpful. Have a nice nap. _The singer used her power to cut off the guard's oxygen supply, rendering him unconscious in seconds.

Miley climbed out from under the van and looked around the room. Sure enough, there were five large entry doors each numbered one thru five. She noted that Lilly and her mother had been taken through door number five.

Miley looked up at door number three and groaned in slight frustration. Of course it had to be the door that was the furthest away from her current position.

Miley looked around the garage area again. Other than the line of vehicles she had just crawled beneath, the floor was relatively open with the exception of one giant pillar in the middle of the room which seemed to hold up the dome above the garage.

Miley counted the number of guards stationed around the room. There were two standing outside of door three, and two outside of door five. The singer rolled her eyes at their positioning. 'Of course.' She thought to herself.

Miley decided that her best chance would be to create a distraction for the guards and then go for the door. The singer looked around the room trying to come up with a plan. 'What would Lilly do?' she thought, trying to give herself inspiration. Miley looked down at her hand resting against the wheel of the tire.

Miley smiled and let out a quiet chuckle. 'And sometimes the answer in right in front of your face.' she thought. 'One runaway van, coming right up.'

Miley used her power to make the vehicle at the end of the line, which was the same one they had arrived in moments ago, start slowly drifting backwards.

As Miley made a circling motion with her finger, the van began picking up speed quickly. It was going about thirty miles an hour, when it came to its final stop.

The van crashed into the large metal garage door with a loud crunch, the sound of twisting metal echoing through the garage area. Just as she had hoped, all four guards went rushing over to investigate the accident. This left her a clean shot at getting in door number three.

Miley propelled herself quickly to the door, then used her power to open the locked door. She peaked her head inside and was relieved to see an empty hallway. The singer quickly slipped inside the hallway and quietly closed the door behind her.

***************

Lilly waited patiently until she felt her gurney come to a final stop. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell by sound that she had been wheeled through two sets of doors. Now she was listening to three men having a conversation.

"Captain, a word of caution, we think the drug is starting to wear off."

"I'll hook her up to the anesthesia immediately to help keep her sedated."

"Do you need anything further?"

"No, tell Maverick that both women are in the lab and I will begin conducting experiments immediately."

"Yes Captain."

Lilly heard a door open and at least one person left the room, hopefully from the way they were talking, the two men that had brought her from the van were both gone.

The surfer peeked open one eye and was relieved to only see two people in the room. One was the Captain, and the other was a female assistant, who had yet to say anything. Lilly noticed that her mother rested on a gurney a few feet away from her and had some plastic tubing inserted in her nostrils.

"Captain, do you plan on securing her body to the table?" the woman's voice asked.

"Yes, we'll have to turn her onto her back first." the Captain replied.

Lilly tried to calm her pounding heart and wait patiently for both people to come within her reach. The blonde heard footsteps coming closer to her bedside, a heavy pair of boots approaching on her right, and a pair of heels on her left. The blonde felt a set of hands on her left shoulder trying to pull her back and another set on her right arm trying to pull it out from under her. The surfer decided it was time to make her move.

With incredible speed, Lilly latched on to both sets of hands with an iron grip and opened her eyes. "Surprise." she said smugly.

Lilly watched as the Captain's eyes went wide with panic. "Y-y-you're not…" he tried to say.

Lilly shook her head. "No, I'm not." she said as she sat up and scooted herself off the end of the gurney, dragging with her an enemy in each hand. The blonde maintained a stone face as she turned to the woman. "If you value your life, you will lay down on the table." she told the woman tonelessly.

The middle aged woman was frightened as she felt the grip on her wrist tighten painfully. "O-okay." she softly replied as she climbed on to the gurney and laid down.

Lilly knew she would need both of her hands to accomplish what she had in mind, but she didn't want to let go of the Captain. The surfer turned her head back to the Captain. "Lay on the floor, face down." she instructed and squeezed his wrist.

The Captain cringed and dropped to his knees. Once he was flat on the floor, Lilly released his hand and put her foot in the middle of his back.

Now with both hands free, Lilly ripped the metal tubing on the side of the gurney and wrapped it around the woman's arms like a snake, effectively trapping her in place. After repeating the process on the other arm, she looked down at the terrified woman. "Just stay calm and quiet and nothing will happen to you, alright?" she said, looking in the woman's eyes. "I don't want to hurt you." she said, her face softening with a hint of a smile.

The woman nervously shook her head in understanding. After feeling the girl's strength firsthand and with the tubing wrapped around her arms, the woman knew she was clearly at the smaller girl's mercy.

Lilly removed her foot from the Captain's back and reached down to pick him up by the back of his coat. After roughly pulling the man to his feet and locking her grip back on the man's arm, the surfer glared into his eyes. "What were you going to do to us?" she growled at the Captain.

The Captain had heard some stories about what the blonde was capable of, but he thought for sure that the agents had been embellishing slightly. After seeing the blonde in action, clearly, her strength was underestimated if anything. The Captain cleared his throat. "We were going to do blood work and x-rays and other tests of that nature to determine how your genetic makeup differed from the other offspring." he explained to blonde.

Lilly narrowed her eyes at the Captain. "What other offspring??" she questioned, thinking that the Captain meant that there were more hostages somewhere. "Where are they?" she demanded as she increased the pressure on his arm.

The Captain grimaced in pain. "They're all dead." he replied through clenched teeth.

Lilly's eyes went wide. "WHAT?!?"

The Captain was terrified to think of what the girl could do to him in her distraught state of mind, so he felt it was in his best interests to explain the entire situation to her. "You and your mother are the last surviving participants from the original experiment."

Lilly shook her head. 'No, we're not.' She thought idly. 'But I sure as hell ain't pointing that out to you.' she thought, then decided to continue pumping the Captain for information. "How did they die?" she asked quietly.

The Captain shrugged. "Various reasons. Cancer, heart attacks, aneurysms, the list goes on and on." he explained.

Lilly considered what the Captain said. Miley's mom died from cancer. Fuck. "And what did you hope to accomplish by finding out how we survived?"

The Captain briefly waffled about whether to tell her the real reason or not. His mind was quickly made up for him when the small blonde put her second hand on his arm and looked like she was getting ready to snap it in half. "Alright!" he shouted in panic. "The hope was to improve the original drug so that it could be injected into soldiers and make them better fighters."

Lilly pushed the Captain backwards until he slammed up against the wall. "You used innocent people as lab rats to help make killing machines??" she screamed at the Captain, horrified at the thought of what their mothers had been involved in.

The Captain stared at the small blonde in absolute fear.

Lilly slammed him against the wall once more. "ANSWER ME!!"

The second slam bounced the Captain's head off the wall. He suddenly felt very dizzy. "Y-yes." he answered, blinking his eyes, trying to refocus them.

Lilly's anger was beginning to boil. These people bribed and lied to desperate women. They caused the deaths of so many innocent people, including Miley's mother…no more. Lilly would never allow them a chance to restart the process.

Lilly knew if she wanted this to end, she needed to deal with the person in charge. It was highly unlikely that the person in charge would be running the lab. The surfer tried to think back to her History class. They had discussed military ranks several times. "Who's in charge? You're only a Captain." she asked, grinding the bones in the man's wrist.

Captain Wells was not a self sacrificing man. If he could give up someone else to save his own ass, then he would. "There's a general that oversees everything but the man on base in charge is Colonel Maverick."

Lilly nodded, she felt at this point she had heard all she needed to hear. "You've been very helpful Captain. Now if you would like to keep things friendly, you will tell me how to wake my mother up." she said in a warning tone.

Lilly watched as the Captain squirmed uncomfortably. "Is there a problem?" she growled menacingly.

The Captain's breath became shallow as he became fearful of the young girl's reaction to what he was going to tell her next. "Ah, there's no antidote for the imobatine. If you remove the anesthetic from her nose and she doesn't wake up, the drug hasn't been fully processed through her system. She'll remain unconscious until the drug runs its course." he explained, then clenched his eyes shut tightly, waiting for her to hurt him again.

Lilly watched the Captain's reaction and shook her head. "How long will that take?" she prodded the older man.

The Captain opened his eyes, slightly surprised that she hadn't administered him any more pain. "Ah, well, it's never been used on anyone quite like you two before, so there's no way to know." he told her honestly.

Lilly rolled her eyes. "How long does it last on a normal person?" she ground out sarcastically.

The Captain responded quickly. "It takes about twelve hours on a normal person."

Lilly looked down at her watch. It had only been three hours. "Fuck."

Lilly looked over at her mother's body, knowing that it would be easy enough to carry her. The problem was that it gave Lilly far less options if she had to deal with any problems along the way. The surfer snapped her head back to the Captain. "Are you lying to me?"

The Captain shook his head no numerous times. "I don't see how that would be very smart on my part right now." he said truthfully.

Lilly sighed deeply and she turned her head back to her mother. As the surfer tried to decide the best way to get her mother out of the facility, she heard a woman's voice whisper over her shoulder. "They'll never let you leave."

Lilly turned back to the woman on the gurney. "What?"

The woman had watched the younger girl's facial expressions. She wasn't was just a subject to be studied, she was a daughter who loved her mother very much. It was obvious from the way she looked at the older blonde. The woman spoke a little louder this time. "I said, they'll never let you leave, now that they've got you here." she told the blonde sadly, knowing that the Shop had gone through too much trouble to let this opportunity slip away without one hell of a fight.

Lilly got a wry smile on her lips. "Trust me, they won't have a choice in the matter." she replied in a cocky tone.

The woman shook her head, thinking that the younger girl didn't understand the gravity of the situation. "They'll kill you. They can study you dead just as easily as they could alive." she insisted.

Lilly gave the woman a genuine smile. "I appreciate your concern ma'am. But trust me, they can't kill me." she assured the older woman.

"But they still have your friends." she pointed out, wondering if the blonde had forgotten about them.

Ironically, at that exact moment, the blonde heard her lover's voice in her mind. _Lilly?_

Lilly shook her head and smiled at the woman. "Not for long." she happily commented.

***************

Miley followed the instructions given to her by the guard she had previously rendered unconscious.

When she reached the door to the brig, she peeked in the corner of the window. The singer was rewarded with seeing Oliver leaning against metal bars, holding Joannie in his arms. Miley leaned against the wall and called out to her brother.

_Jackson?_

_Yeah sis?_

_I'm right outside the door. Are there any guards? _

_Yeah, there's one sitting on the chair next to the door. _Jackson realized that his information could be misleading, then quickly added to his statement._ Miley there are two doors._

Miley thought about what Jackson had told her._ Is the Oliver facing the guard or is the guard behind him?_

_Facing him._

_Okay, I'm at the other door. Try to keep everyone calm for me._

_Will do._

Miley used her power to unlock the door. As she pulled the door opened, she stepped inside the door and immediately threw her hand up at the guard, cutting off his flow of oxygen.

As the guard clawed at his throat desperately trying to release the immense pressure that was cutting off his oxygen supply. After a few seconds, the guard gave up and began thrashing his arms about wildly. Several seconds later, the guard stilled, finally falling unconscious. Once Miley saw his body go limp, she released him from her grasp and watched him fall to the floor.

Jackson was standing next to the cell door holding on to the bars. "Took you long enough." he hissed at his sister.

The other three occupants of the cell stared stupidly at their rescuer, none of them realizing who it was at first.

Jordan pulled on Jackson's shirt to get his attention. "Jackson?" she questioned, pointing at the white haired girl.

Jackson smiled at his girlfriend's confusion. "Relax, she's here to save us." he said, trying to ease his girlfriend in to what was no doubt going to be quite a shock.

Oliver eyed the new girl suspiciously. Something in his mind keep telling him that he should know the answer to this question, but he said it anyway. "Who are you?"

Miley put her hands on her hips and glared at the swimmer. It certainly wasn't the first time he had seen her in a wig. "Really Oliver?" she said dryly.

Oliver's eyes widened at the sound of the voice. "Miley?" he said as he turned to see his girlfriend's reaction to this relevation.

Joannie just shrugged her shoulders in response. At this point, she just wanted to get the hell out of there. "If she's here to help us, I wouldn't give a fuck if she were Hannah Montana." the brunette replied truthfully to her boyfriend.

Miley smiled at Joannie. Maybe after all this, it was time from her and Lilly to come clean about all their secrets. The singer put her hand on the cell door and used her power to unlock the door. After an audible clank from the locking mechanism, Miley pulled open the door. "Come on. We've gotta get out of here." she said as she headed back to the door she had entered.

The gang was handling Miley's appearance surprisingly well. But Jordan still wished she knew how Miley was performing the weird things she did. Choking the guard. Opening locked doors. "How can you do this shit?" She said from behind Miley.

Miley looked over her shoulder with a sad smile. The singer desperately hoped that when this was over, Jordan was still a part of her brother's life and didn't run away after all this craziness. "Let's just say I'm not normal and leave it at that for now. Ok?" she answered.

Jackson let out a bark of laughter at his sister's comment, then reached out a put a hand on her shoulder. "Where's Lil?" he asked curiously.

"Taking care of mom." the singer answered back.

Oliver considered what was happening. His best female friends were here to save him and his girlfriend from some secret military operation and Miley apparently had some kind of inhuman mind powers. And if he had to guess, he wouldn't be surprised if Lilly had some too...that would certainly explain how strong she was. 'No one can say my life is boring.' he thought to himself. "What's the plan?" he said, anxious to know how the hell they were going to get out of the facility.

Joannie glared at the boy, her ever present sarcastic attitude at the forefront. "Gee, get the hell out of here maybe?" she commented.

"I was think more specifically..." he started to answer and then after receiving a glare from his girlfriend quickly amended his statement. "but that plan works for me."

Jordan's mind was all over the place trying to figure out what was going on. She knew Miley. The brunette had been so sweet to her over the last few months. But right now, the hockey player was a little scared of her. "Jackson?" she spoke quietly over his shoulder and gripped his hand tightly.

Jackson turned to look in his girlfriend's eyes. He could see that she was scared and confused and was looking for answers. "Please. Just, trust us. I will sit and explain the entire thing as soon as we're safe, but we have to get out of here first." he insisterd, then leaned forward to give her a quick kiss to seal his promise.

Jordan closed her eyes. Love was about trust. And no matter what else was happening, she knew that she loved Jackson. The brunette nodded her head in agreement. "Okay."

Miley looked out the window to check the hallway. It looked clear, so the singer figured it best to contact Lilly before they made their escape.

_Lilly?_

_Yeah baby?_

_I've got them._

_Awesome. I'm fine, but mom's still out. I'll carry her and bring my new friend the Captain out to meet you in the garage._

Miley briefly wondered what the surfer meant by new friend, but figured she would find out soon enough. _Are we still trying to be quiet?_

Lilly considered the question for a second. _Once we hit the garage, it won't be. _She pointed out.

_Alright, meet you soon. s_he said, finishing her mental conversation with her girlfriend.

Miley turned back to the group of teenagers behind her. "Alright, Lilly's going to meet us in the garage."

Joannie raised an eyebrow at that comment. "Lilly's here too?"

Once again Miley didn't want to waste time explaining anything so she simply glazed over Joannie's question. "Yes." she answered curtly. "Now, everyone just stay close together and follow me to the garage." she said, then held her hand up. "Let me check the hall first."

The one thing that Miley didn't know was that when the guard was thrashing about against the wall, he managed to trip a silent alarm. As the singer stuck her head in the hallway, the door at the far end of the room opened and two men baring rifles entered.

Several things happened simultaneously.

Jordan saw the men entering and in a panic pushed Jackson. This caused a domino effect as Jackson in turn fell into Miley and the three of them tumbled forward out into the hallway.

The first guard that entered opened fire on the escapees with no warning. Oliver had been in front of Joannie, so when he heard the gunshots fired, he turned to try and pull Joannie ahead of him, but it was already too late. The swimmer's girlfriend had already taken several shots to the back and fell forward into his arms.

Oliver stared at the holes in the back of Joannie's shirt that were oozing blood. Oliver flipped his girlfriend over and watched as Joannie closed her eyes for the last time in his arms.

Oliver laid his girlfriend on the ground as he felt his eyes water. The shaggy haired boy turned his head to glare at the approaching guard, rage boiling underneath the surface, causing him to think and act irrationally. "**YOU BASTARD!!!" **he screamed then exploded from the floor and ran towards the guard that had shot Joannie.

Miley disentangled herself from the pile of bodies on the floor in the hallway then stood up and reached to pull the door open. The singer lost precious seconds when the door didn't open. Miley wasn't thinking that the door would automatically lock once it closed.

Oliver's scream scared Miley into action. Rather than unlocking the door carefully, she used her power to knock the door down. As she stepped back into the room, she saw Joannie lying on the floor in a pool of blood and looked up to see Oliver standing in front of one of the guards with his hands on the guard's gun.

As Miley prepared to lash out at the guard, she watched horrified as Oliver suddenly released the gun and fell backwards to the floor.

The guard stood there holding a bloodied knife in his hand.

* * *

**Hmm...yeah. I know. It was going to happen to someone...it was just a matter of time...so at this point, can you figure out why the story is called Meltdown? Next chapter...hmmm...let's just say DAMN and leave it at that...shall we? Absolutely love to read your thoughts and comments. Peace and Love. -Jess **


	19. Ch 18 The Animal I Have Become Pt 1

**Okay so here's how this works...this is a really long chapter and I am having sooooo much trouble with the second half, but the first half is pretty well set, so I divided it up so that you could get a fix now...and I wouldn't feel so damn guilty about how long it is taking me to finish this chapter. So, off we go with the first part of Ch 16...and as you can guess...yes, this will involve a cliffhanger. (Since I got yelled at for not giving warning about the last one...LoL)**

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**Chapter 16 ****- The Animal I Have Become Pt 1**

**Somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California; June 10, 2009**

Roxy looked over at the man sitting next to her in the driver's seat of the Tahoe. The bodyguard could tell that Robbie Ray was an emotional wreck. He looked far older than his forty three years would indicate. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" she asked, slightly concerned with the country singer's ability to focus on the road at this point.

Robbie shook his head. "Just keep watching for Miley's road marks." he remarked. While Miley had been under the van, she had been using her power to make wavy line designs in the pavement to indicate which way the van had gone.

Roxy decided to try and lighten up Robbie's mood a bit. "Good thing you don't half to pay for all the asphalt she tore up." the body guard commented with a slight chuckle.

Unfortunately, Robbie didn't acknowledge the comment for what it was meant to be. "Somehow I think Hannah could cover it." he told the shorter woman in all seriousness.

Roxy sighed. There was something else that needed to be discussed. "Speaking of which, did you guys talk about Hannah at all?" she questioned casually, not wanting to upset the older man, but hoping to get some idea of what was happening forty eight hours from now when Los Angeles was expecting Hannah Montana to appear for the next concert of her _Breakout Tour_.

Robbie furrowed his brow in confusion at the bodyguard's question. "What do you mean?" he said, but not taking his eyes from the road.

Roxy bit her lip, wondering if this was the right time to bring this up or not. "Tour starts up again on Friday. Remember?"

With everything that had gone on in the past twenty four hours, Robbie had briefly forgotten about his daughter's career. But that was exactly what it was...Miley's career. He had no right to make any decisions for her. "That'll have to be her choice when she gets back."

"But…fair enough." Roxy almost forgot herself and asked him, 'what if she doesn't come back?' Fortunately, she held her tongue. The smaller woman decided to move the conversation back to the task at hand. "So, how far do you plan to drive?"

Robbie's eyes remained intently focused on the road. "Until the markers give out." he replied tonelessly.

The body guard continued to pump the country singer for information. "Then what?" she asked.

Robbie Ray sighed deeply. "Wait and pray." he said as a tear rolled down his cheek.

***************

Miley looked back down at Oliver's blank stare and felt something deep inside her stir. As she turned her attention back to the guards, she realized that they were both aiming their rifles at her. Miley felt a fire burning in her chest and held out her arms in front of her. Suddenly, the guns flew out of the guards hands into her outstretched arms.

It took the singer all of three seconds to use her power to remove all the bolts and locking pins from the weapons, causing them to fall from her hands in numerous pieces.

Miley slowly walked towards the two guards like a lioness on the hunt.

The second guard freaked after having his weapon ripped out of his hands and tried to retreat back out the door he'd entered after witnessing her shocking display of dominance. As he grabbed the door handle, the guard tried yanking on the door with all his might, but couldn't move it an inch.

Miley made certain that there would be no escape, nor would she allow any more interruptions until she personally dealt with Oliver's killer. The singer held her hand up and chocked the second guard into unconsciousness.

Oliver and Joannie's killer turned when he heard the gurgling and gasping of his partner. As the second guard fell to the floor, the first guard mentally prepared himself. Clearly, this young girl was capable of things he had never encountered before. His gun was in pieces on the floor and he was certain it was only seconds until his knife was removed from his possession as well.

Miley looked down at the guard's right hand which still held fast to the bloodied knife. The singer looked back up at the guard's eyes and saw no remorse. No sadness. No regret for his actions. The singer narrowed her eyes in anger and clenched her fist tightly. When she did, her power crushed every single bone in his right hand.

The guard immediately dropped the knife as unimaginable pain shot up his arm and he let out a blood curdling scream. It was then when he realized that he could no longer move his body in any way, shape, or form. The singer then used her power to close his mouth to keep him from making any more noise.

The singer wanted an explanation. She walked to within an inch of the man's face and stared in his cold blue eyes. _Why did you kill them? _She demanded mentally.

The guard wasn't thinking anything. Whether that was because he was too shocked to understand the question or if his mind was too numb because of the pain in his hand, she couldn't be sure.

Miley turned her head and looked for a weapon, but only saw the jail cell. 'When in doubt, improvise.' the singer thought.

Miley held her hand out and one of the vertical metal cell bars ripped away from the cross bars and into Miley's hand. In one swift motion, the singer spun around and used the bar like a baseball bat and swung the bar at the man's midsection.

Despite not being able to open his mouth, the guard closed his eyes and groaned in agony at the additional pain.

Miley tried again. _Why did you kill them? _

The guard still thought nothing and just stared blankly at her.

Miley wound up and took another swing at his ribs. **_ANSWER ME!! _**She screamed in his head.

Finally, the guard thought something. _Protocol. Escaping prisoners are shot on sight._

Miley's face dropped at the thought she finally managed to pull out of his head. _They were just innocent teenagers. _She argued back.

_Escaping prisoners are shot on sight. _He thought again.

Miley's eyes narrowed. _You didn't even give them a warning._

_Escaping prisoners…_

When Miley heard the guard start to give her the same answer for the third time, the singer lost what little patience she had left. She used the cell bar like a sword and with the aid of her ability, impaled it through the guard's chest. Miley released the bar and momentarily glared at the dead guard. "Fuck you." she spat as she turned and walked back towards the hallway.

Jackson watched the events unfold, shocked and slightly frightened by what his little sister had done. He wasn't upset that she killed him, but it was just something he never thought he'd see his kind and gentle sister do. "Miles?" he called out softly to her as she walked past him.

Miley more or less ignored her brother and checked the hallway. "Let's go." she said as she waved at the two remaining teenagers.

Jackson tried again. "Are you alright?" he asked with a little more urgency in his voice.

Once again, Miley ignored him. "Stay close to me." she instructed.

Jackson couldn't stand it anymore. He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him. "Damnit Miles! Answer me!" he growled.

Miley reached out and wrapped her hand in Jackson's shirt and pulled him up two inches off the floor to meet her eyes. "He fucking killed them Jackson!! FOR NO REASON." she screamed back at her brother, anger still burning in her normally soft brown eyes.

Jackson could only ache for his sister's pain. Jackson thought of Oliver and Joannie as friends, but to Miley, they were as good as family; especially Oliver. "I know Miles." he sighed softly.

Miley closed her eyes and released her grip on her brother's shirt. "This shit has to end." she stated as she turned around and started walking down the hallway.

Jackson heard her words, but didn't understand their meaning. "What are you going to do?" he asked, while she walked away. "Miles?" he shouted. "Miles?!?"

Miley considered the question her brother posed. What was she going to do? She was going to go tell the love of her life that she allowed her best friend to be killed while he was supposed to be under the singer's protection…and desperately hope that the blonde could forgive her, even if she would never forgive herself.

Miley whipped her head back around and glared at her brother. "Let's go." she ordered again.

***************

Lilly grabbed an I.V. pole and pulled it out of the machine next to her mother's bed. The surfer put it behind the Captain's back then reached behind him to grab both ends of the bar. With very little effort, she wrapped the metal pole around the Captain's chest and arms and twisted the two ends in front of him like a twist tie. "Don't move." she ordered.

Lilly walked over to her mother and gently removed the tubing from her nose. "Time to go mom." she whispered as she cradled her mother in her arms, then hefted her body over her left shoulder. She turned to grab the steel bar wrapped around the Captain in her right hand. "Move Captain." she said, as the threesome made their way out the door.

When Lilly turned the corner from the lab, she was surprised to immediately come face to face with a five man firing squad. Three men were standing and two were on their knees. All five men had high powered rifles aimed directly at the blonde. "Halt. Don't move." the standing man in the middle shouted. He was a Sergeant.

Lilly looked at the five men and just laughed. This could only end badly for one person. "Unless you plan on killing the Captain, I wouldn't fire those weapons." she warned the men with a smile.

The Sergeant was not amused with her attitude. "If you take another step, we will open fire." he growled back at the small blonde.

Lilly rolled her eyes and turned to look at Captain Wells. "Captain, you better talk to them." she said. "It's your life at stake here." she reminded him as she pushed the Captain slightly ahead of her. "Not mine."

The Captain eyes went wide as he suddenly understood what she meant. Bullets couldn't hurt her. But they could most certainly hurt him. "DO NOT FIRE!!!" he screamed, his face suddenly beat red from the strain of forcing large amounts of air into his compressed lungs.

The Sergeant took the Captain's outburst as coercion and chose to ignore it. "The Captain is under duress. Follow protocol." he instructed his team.

The Captain's eyes went wide. "DON'T SHO…!!!" he screamed, the words dying in this throat as his body was quickly riddled with bullets.

Lilly stood their for several seconds as dozens of bullets passed through her and Heather's bodies, hitting the floor, ceiling, and walls behind the two blondes.

The Sergeant noted Lilly was still just standing there after several seconds of gunfire. "Cease fire." he told his team.

Lilly pulled up the limp body of the Captain. His uniform was coated in blood from far more bullets than necessary to end someones life. The surfer dropped the Captain's dead body to the floor and turned back to the firing line. "What the hell is WRONG with you people?!?" she shouted, not understanding how they could just kill one of their own people like that.

The man to the Sergeant's right spoke. "S-s-sergeant?" he said, his voice shaking.

The Sergeant stared at the indifferent nature of the blonde in front of him and quickly realized that they were fucked. "Fall back. Now." he shouted, and the five men ran like hell to get away from the indestructible blonde.

Lilly sighed and whispered to her unconscious mother. "That didn't go as I had planned."

***************

Miley and Lilly exited out their respective doors at almost exactly the same time.

As they started walking towards each other, Lilly noticed that only Jackson and Jordan were following her. The surfer's heart tightened painfully in her chest. Miley had told her everyone was fine.

When they finally met in the middle of the garage, Lilly grabbed the singer's arm and shook it urgently. "Miley?" she said. "Miley, where's Oliver?" she demanded.

Miley refused to lift her eyes from the floor as she answered the surfer's question. "Oliver and Joannie are dead." she replied quietly.

Lilly shook her head in denial. This wasn't happening. It was bad nightmare and Lilly would wake up any minute now.

The surfer was vaguely aware of Jackson removing Heather from her shoulder. "How?" she managed to choke out.

Miley still couldn't meet her lover's eyes, knowing that she had just let the blonde's best friend die. "They shot Joannie then…stabbed Oliver." she struggled to reply, the words not wanting to be spoken from her lips.

Lilly reached forward and forcefully pulled up Miley's chin. "Who did it?" the surfer demanded.

As Miley stared in her lover's eyes, she saw the darkest blue she had ever seen in her life. That was absolute, pure hatred burning in Lilly's eyes. And Miley thought for sure it was directed at her.

Miley held the surfer's intense gaze as she answered. "One of the soldiers. He's dead."

Lilly was slightly surprised when her girlfriend said that the man was dead. A small part of Lilly was absolutely furious that someone had gotten to the murderer before she did. "Who killed him?" she demanded angrily.

Miley's face was like stone, her eyes hard and cold as she answered. "I did." she spat.

Lilly's eyes softed slightly at her gentle lover's admission. "You what?"

Jordan couldn't stand to watch the girls go back and forth any longer. The hockey player saw how much this was tearing them both apart, and couldn't let it continue. The brunette wouldn't allow something she did to come between the two young lovers. Especially since it was her own moment of panic that had cost the other two teens their lives. She jumped up from her place behind Jackson and grabbed Lilly's arm. "Lilly, it was my fault." the brunette said apologetically.

Lilly turned her head, momentarily stunned. "Jordan?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

Jordan couldn't stop the tears that fell. "I pushed Miley out the door." she said pointing at her chest. "I freaked. It was all my fault."

Miley shook her head. She thought it was incredibly endearing that Jordan was willing to take the blame for her incompetence. "No, it was my fault. I should have kept everyone in front of me." she answered.

Lilly covered her face with her hands. "ENOUGH!" she shouted, then ran her hands over her head and through her long blonde hair. The surfer turned to Jordan. "Did you have a gun?"

Jordan was too terrified to speak after Lilly's outburst and merely shook her head no.

Lilly turned her head back to her girlfriend. "Did you have a knife?"

Miley didn't answer, unsure of where the blonde was going with her line of questioning.

Lilly pointed towards the gathering mob of soldiers that were quickly encircling them. "No, THEY did this." she said, indicating that it was the Shop's fault that their friends were dead and no one else's.

Before Lilly could say anything else, the blonde was interrupted by a man stepping out from the circle of soldiers that now completely surrounded them. Every soldier in the room had a weapon pointed at the teenagers. The guns ranged anywhere from 9mm semi automatic pistols to M16A1 assault rifles.

Maverick crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Ladies. I have had enough of these games." he said as he took a few steps closer to them, not concerned for his safety in the least. "Lilly I do want to thank you though. We thought you were the last of your kind. But guess how pleasantly surprised we were when we found out just now that your girlfriend here was equally as talented…maybe even more so." he said in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice. "I can't wait to see what all she has to offer." he remarked.

Maverick had just seen video footage of Miley's actions in the brigade.

Jackson's jaw dropped as he stared at the Colonel in disbelief. He pretty much just threatened Miley to Lilly's face. 'That man must have a fucking death wish.' Jackson thought to himself.

Lilly glared daggers at the man who had just threatened the love of her life. The surfer subconsciously took half a step in front of Miley. "You killed our friends." the blonde growled through clenched teeth.

Colonel Maverick shrugged, totally unapologetic for the actions of his men. "Yes well, the ends justifies the means." he said, tossing his hand in the air as if he couldn't care less. "And now if you don't surrender immediately, we will kill the rest of your family." the Colonel threatened viciously. "Right here. Right now."

Miley wasn't sure who this guy was, but he was clearly arrogant and stupid. "You have no idea who you're messing with." she threw back at the older man.

Maverick tipped his head to the side and smiled at Miley. "Oh, but I think I do Miss Montana." he replied tauntingly. "Last chance." he warned them.

* * *

**So, if you can't guess from the point I left off at...we have tons of action waiting for us in the second half of the chapter...my downfall is that I HATE writing action. Give me a nice long dialogue any damn day. So I makeno promises when you see the next part...but I am trying. I swear. Love to read your thoughts and comments. Peace and Love. -Jess**


	20. Ch 18 The Animal I Have Become Pt 2

**Okay, so here's part 2...I did my best on the action...try not to be overly critical. Hope you enjoy it...and lileyfan123 begs the question...if Miley and Lilly were in a fight....who would win...after this chapter, I would love to read a few opinions on that question.**

* * *

**Chapter 16 **- **The Animal I Have Become Pt 2**

**Somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California; June 10, 2009**

Lilly turned her head and stared at her lover_. How do you want to deal with this? _She asked mentally.

_They're never going to stop. _Miley pointed out.

Lilly agreed. _No, I don't think they will._

Miley squared her shoulders_. Then we have to make them stop. _She declared. _Ideas?_

Lilly looked at their surroundings, then briefly glanced back at their unconscious mother. _If mom were awake, I would say burn this place to the ground._

Maverick was unaware that the girls were having a mental conversation. He assumed they simply didn't wish to surrender. It was time to push the issue. Maverick held his hand up in the air and called out to his troops. "On my mark, open fire." he barked.

Miley grabbed the surfer's hand. _Do you want me to take away their guns? _She asked.

Lilly stared at her girlfriend slightly surprised by the question. Was Miley suggesting that she could disarm _**all**_ these men at the same time? They had to be surrounded by at least fifty soldiers. _You can't handle all of them…can you? _Lilly knew what the singer had done earlier on the plane was beyond anything she had ever done, but now her power just seemed to continue growing at an exponiental rate.

A wicked grin appeared on Miley's face. _Watch me. _She answered back with a wink.

Lilly nodded her consent after seeing her girlfriend's complete confidence in herself. Apparently, Miley's control over her power really had become **_that_** strong, and the surfer just hadn't noticed. _Alright, but let them fire first so they see how futile it is. _

"3"

_Alright. _Miley held out her hands, and enclosed the five of them behind an invisible barrier created by the singer's mind, and powered solely by her will.

"2"

Lilly turned to Jackson and Jordan. "Stay close."

"1"

Jackson hugged Heather and Jordan to his chest and closed his eyes. He knew his sisters would protect them, but this was something even he didn't have the guts to watch.

"Fire."

Hundreds of weapons began firing simultaneously on the Colonel's command. The sound in the small enclosed space was somewhat deafening. And yet it still paled in comparison to the roar of the crowd at a Hannah Montana concert.

Miley and Lilly were both unaffected by the sound and stood there calmly as they watched hundreds of bullets endlessly ricochet off Miley's barrier in all different directions.

After a few seconds, Lilly held her hand behind her and shouted at Jackson and Jordan. "Give me your hands!"

Jackson put Heather's arm directly in the surfer's hand, then he and Jordan each took a hold of her forearm.

Once Lilly had a hold of the others, the surfer scooted up against her girlfriend's back and wrapped a protective arm around the singer's waist. The blonde then phased her body and everything that she was directly in contact with to keep them all safe. The surfer leaned forward and spoke directly into Miley's ear. "I got us baby. Take out the weapons." she instructed the singer.

Miley nodded her head in acknowledgement of Lilly's words.

When the first bullets got past the barrier, Maverick thought the singer was weakening and they were gaining the upper hand, however, the Colonel's excitement was extremely short lived.

In the blink of an eye, every single weapon in the room flew up in the air, over everyone's heads, towards the center of the room. Miley used her power to smash all of the weapons into one giant hunk of fused metal, rendering them all useless, and then let it fall to the floor with a loud metallic clang.

Maverick watched in horror as his soldiers were all divested of their weapons in a split second. Meanwhile, all members of the Truscott clan appeared to be alive and well. And worst of all, Lilly and Miley both looked really fucking pissed off.

The Colonel began slowly backpedaling from the circle. They had discussed scenarios of how to deal with the Truscott's if they escaped, but they were in no way prepared to deal with Miley's abilities.

Miley held up a single index finger and wiggled it at him in a 'come here' motion. "Colonel, we'd like to have a word with you please." she said sweetly as the Colonel was trapped by the power of the singer's mind and pulled across the floor till he stood in front of them, unable to move.

Lilly reached forward and roughly grabbed the commander's jacket. "You have made our lives hell for the past month. You've threatened our family and friends and even killed some of the people we love. I WANT TO FUCKING KNOW WHY!" She shouted the last sentence, then violently shook the commander, waiting for an answer to her question.

Maverick's arrogance and stupidity reached new heights as he locked eyes with the surfer. "Your body holds the key to the future. Limitless power. Do you have any idea what that's worth to a country? In the right hands, the possibilities are staggering." he declared. "Therefore, you need to be controlled by _**any means necessary**_."

Miley stared at the man held by her girlfriend's strong hands. "You're insane." the singer replied simply.

Lilly nodded her head in agreement with the singer's assessment. The surfer had heard enough. It was time for them to get the hell outta there. "Tell your men to evacuate this facility." the surfer ordered, hoping to make their exit a little easier.

The Colonel's face remained impassive at her demand. "No." he replied plainly.

Lilly glared at the older man. "It's not a request." she said, as she tightened her grip on his jacket lapels.

Once again, the Colonel showed no fear to the smaller, but far more powerful blonde. He refused to give her the satisfaction. "I don't take orders. I give them." he replied snidely.

Miley could not believe the audacity of the man before her. "Do you realize that either one of us could kill you in a heartbeat." she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Despite the fact that neither of the girls would kill someone in cold blood, that didn't mean they _couldn't_ do it.

Maverick turned his eyes slightly to catch Miley's. "You won't." he said knowingly.

"And why is that?" the singer asked curiously.

Maverick looked up and down the singer's body. The Colonel had trained thousands of soldiers over the years, he knew a killer when he saw one. "Because you don't have the killer instinct." he pointed out.

Lilly had enough of Maverick's games and his attitude. "You're right. She doesn't." she said, thinking back to her conversation with her girlfriend from earlier today. The blonde pulled the Colonel two inches away from her face. "But I do." she warned menacingly. "Last chance, order your men to leave or I swear to God I will bring this mountain down and bury everyone and everything in it." the surfer vowed.

Miley's head spun towards the surfer in surprise at her choice of threats. _Are you out of your mind?_

Lilly's eyes never wavered from the Colonel's._ We can't burn it down, so I'll bring it down instead._

After a few seconds of contemplation, Maverick smiled. "You're bluffing." he said confidently.

Lilly gave the Colonel a cocky smile of her own. "Try me." she dared playfully.

Maverick quickly assessed the situation. Aside from the fact that he couldn't imagine how she could possibly do what she threatened, there was no conceivable way she and her girlfriend could do that and also protect their loved ones at the same time. "You'd never put your families' lives at risk." he shot back at the blonde.

"No, we wouldn't." the surfer agreed. "And trust me, they'll be fine." she assured the older man. Once more, like she had done in the hallway with the Captain, the surfer was giving Maverick the chance to spare peoples' lives. It was time for the Colonel's final ultimatium. The surfer happily spit the Colonel's words back at him. "Last chance. Order your men to evacuate." she repeated.

The Colonel ground his teeth together defiantly. "Never."

Lilly shook her head. "Are you really this stupid?"

Maverick smirked at the small blonde. "I play to win."

"Have it your way then." the surfer told the Colonel, then she turned to Miley. "Hang him somewhere so he'll have a good view of the show." she said, holding out the Colonel to her.

Miley nodded then looked around the garage. In one corner sat a large crane. Miley floated the Colonel over the large dangling hook and used the heavy cable that was holding the hook to wrap around Maverick's chest, under his arms then hook it behind his back. The Colonel was now dangling twenty feet in the air like a pinata, with the weight of the crane hook making any effort to escape utterly impossible.

While Miley took care of the Colonel, Lilly turned and knelt down next to Jackson. "Alright engineer, what would be the best way to bring down the mountain?"

Jackson surveyed the room and thought back to his architectural classes. "Well, theoretically, if you rip the center girder out of the ground, that would weaken the top of the doom enough that a little bit of a pressure should cause it to collapse and bring in the mountain."

Lilly examined the center girder. It was huge and no doubt weighed thousands of pounds. "So if I can just jam that girder straight up, it would do the trick?" she questioned, wanting to make sure she understood Jackson's instructions.

Jackson nodded. "I think so."

Lilly clapped Jackson on the shoulder as she stood back up.

Jordan reached over and grabbed Jackson's upper arm. "Are you insane? We'll be buried alive." she said, her eyes fearful of dying.

Jackson cupped her cheek and gently tried to reassure his girlfriend. "Not with my sisters around we won't be. I told you, trust me." he said, then added. "Better yet, trust _THEM_."

Jordan stared at the man she loved in total confusion. How could he have **_so_** much faith is something **_so_** crazy? It was obvious that Lilly and Miley were each capable of doing incredible things, but surely this was beyond even the two of them. "You're out of your mind." she insisted to her boyfriend.

Jackson leaned forward and softly kissed her lips. "My sisters can do anything they set their minds to." he told her confidently.

Jordan could tell that Jackson's faith wouldn't be swayed for any reason. The hockey player decided that it was no use debating the situation any further. All she could do now was pray that Jackson was right.

Lilly waited until Miley was done with the Colonel before turning the singer around to face her.

Lilly suddenly felt the need to see all of her lover. The surfer reached up and pulled the white wig and cap from Miley's head and tossed it aside, releasing the brunette's chestnut curls that the surfer so adored. The blonde lovingly ran her hand through the singer's hair, then caressed her neck lovingly. "Can you protect them while I bring the house down?" she asked softly.

Miley had over heard Lilly's conversation with her brother. She turned to look at the girder in question, then looked back into Lilly's brilliant blue eyes. Miley knew Lilly was strong, but surely she couldn't possibly pull **_this_** off. The singer couldn't even fathom how much the giant hulking hunk of metal might weigh. "You don't really think you can move that thing by yourself, do you?" she questioned, not wanting to doubt her lover, but not being about to wrap her mind around the concept either.

If there was one thing the surfer had always loved, it was a challenge. "Like you said. Watch me." the surfer gave the brunette a sexy grin and then caught her lips in a fiery kiss, clearly communicating her love and passion for the singer. After a moment, the blonde pulled back and leaned her forehead against the singer's. "Can you keep the ceiling off you and the others till I get back?" she said as her eyes glanced to Jackson, Jordan and Heather.

Miley knew there was no way she would let anything happen to anyone else today. "I will."

Lilly squeezed Miley's hands once, then turned away from her lover and took off running towards the center girder. In a single bound, the blonde leaped on top of the fifteen foot circular cement pillar that wrapped around the base of the girder.

Lilly's muscles seemed to swell slightly as she crouched down and put her hands on the beam. Her forearm muscles flexed as she crushed her fingers into the thick steel. The surfer took a few deep breaths, pressing her chest against the steel. The blonde set her teeth on edge, then powered up her legs. She pressed her feet against the cement base as she tried to pull this huge girder from deep within the ground. The blonde knew that as tall as this girder was, much of it had to be underground, buried deep within the installation's foundation. But Lilly didn't care about that and concentrated on her task at hand, using even more strength against the girder. The blonde had finally managed to compress the metal enough to now wrap her arms around the girder. The blonde crushed it against her body as she continued to lift with her legs.

The girder had stood straight for decades against the weight of a mountain above, but it was bending now from the incredible power of one woman. It bent more and more as her arms crushed their way closer towards each other. Then a rumble came from deep in the ground. Sounds like muffled thunder filled the air. Cracks spread like a web all around them.

Miley looked at the ground and then back to Lilly. Her soft grunts of effort had turned into guttural growls as her legs slowly began to straighten. The blonde was giving it everything she had and Miley thought that she may very well succeed by herself, but the singer decided it was time to make the stubborn blonde's job a little easier.

Miley used her mind to create an invisible force to push against the top of the dome to take some of the burden off the blonde. It only took a second until the singer's mind was met with a strong resistance. Miley released the force immediately. The amount of resistence had surprised her, but now that she knew what to expect. The singer took a few deep breaths, gathering herself for what she was about to do.

The top of the dome was made of a two foot thick compressed sheets of metal re-enforced with spires of compressed metal beams. The dome was attached to the walls with one foot thick rivets connected to four foot thick beams that were buried twenty feet into the ground and one slightly larger beam in the center which Lilly was currently working on displacing.

Miley glanced over at the blonde still straining then looked back at the top of the dome. Miley was beyond impressed by her girlfriend's display of strength and power, but now it was time for them to do what they did best. Work as a team.

Focusing her power, she pushed forward again, and was once again met with incredible resistance. Miley gritted her teeth and concentrated, redoubling her efforts. Pushing again, the spires gave way a little, but the ceiling held fast. As she pushed with every fiber of her being, every muscle in her body screamed in agony.

Miley let out a loud scream and bared down. This time the entire building screamed back. She was exerting titanic pressure that was unfathomable to any normal human being. As she pushed upward, the wall beams themselves started to bend inward with a deafening groan. The huge rivets began to scream and pop. The singer quickly looked back at the blonde to check her progress.

The concrete was turning to powder under Lilly's feet as she pressed down with such tremendous force. The girder had moved a little, but with one finally squeeze of Lilly's impossibly strong muscles, the girder broke loose from the foundation and shot up into the air several feet.

As the girder smashed up into the doom, every wall lurched inward. The earth shook as the dome wailed under the extreme weight of the mountain above it. The huge beams of compressed metal were no longer strong enough to contain the growing weight. Light fixtures blew and crashed to the floor. More rivets popped out of the wall beams. The dome was in jeopardy of collapsing.

From his position in the air, Colonel Maverick watched in horror as the walls started caving in. Several thunderous explosions sounded as the last of the huge rivets were ripped from the beams holding the walls together. With a terrifying moan, the huge dome separated from the warped walls entirely, but amazingly still hung in midair, obviously being held aloft by the young singer's power.

The Colonel watched in horrified amazement as the two young girls showed him the meaning of true power.

Now with their goal accomplished, Miley had to shift gears. Now that they had created the hole in the ceiling, it was Miley's job to hold the mountain up until Lilly could get back to keep them all safe from the tons of rock threatening to crush them to death the second the singer relaxed.

As the rivets continued to break, Miley continued to push against the creaking and cracking dome, screaming all the while, now trying to desperately keep the mountain from crashing down on all of them.

Lilly quickly jumped down from what remained of the cement base and ran towards her girlfriend. Lilly saw how hard Miley was fighting, but felt there was one last thing they simply could not leave without. "Do you have 20 more seconds in you?" she asked, still breathing heavily from her exertions.

Sweat was pouring down the singer's face as the strain on her body continued to increase. "Not much more." she ground out.

Lilly felt guilty about asking this of her lover, but she knew in her heart, that Miley wouldn't have it any other way. The blonde quickly turned to Jackson. "Where's the brig?" she shouted.

Jackson grinned, knowing what Lilly was going to do. "Door 3, turn left, it's the room with the smashed down door." he said.

"Be right back." she shouted over her shoulder, quickly crossing the floor in seconds.

Once Lilly made her way to the brig. The blonde bent down and picked up Joannie and Oliver's bodies and raced back to the garage. As she phased through the wall, she yelled to Jackson. "Get in the closest van. NOW!" she ordered.

Jackson wasted no time in picking up Heather and heading to the nearest van. Jordan tried pulling open the sliding side door, but it was locked.

_Lilly, you got to hurry._ The surfer heard in her mind.

Lilly reached the van and didn't think twice before ripping the door open. "Get in!" After Jackson and Jordan were aboard with Heather, Lilly handed them Oliver and Joannie's bodies. Lilly glanced over at her lover and wasn't sure if Miley could move. 'Best not to make her try.' the surfer thought, then bent down and picked the van up and carried it over to Miley, setting it down so that she was right next to the door.

"Time to go Miles." Lilly said.

Miley had fought against the mountain for so long, every muscle in her body was locked in place. "I...can't...move." she hissed.

Lilly looked up to the ceiling and then back to the van. They were going to cut this awfully close, but Lilly sure as hell wasn't leaving without the love of her life. There was only one more problem. "Alright, you have to use those singing lungs. Take the deepest breath possible, then let go of the mountain. I'll get you in the van. Then phase us and the van, but you still need to get the van out of here. Can you do it?" Lilly needed to know, otherwise she would have to start piling people on her shoulders and start running.

"I won't let anyone else die today." the singer vowed.

Lilly smiled. Her girlfriend was definitely one in a million. "Alright, everyone get ready to take a deep breath." she said to those inside the van. "Jackson, cover mom's mouth and nose with your hands."

Lilly bent down, ready to lift the singer's body into a cradle. "Ready Miles?" she said, looking up at the singer's exhausted eyes.

"Do it." the singer replied.

"Deep breath." the blonde screamed to everyone. "Now."

Miley sucked in a huge lungful of air, then felt Lilly lift her off her feet and jump in the van. As the singer relaxed her mind, the huge dome was free to finally collapse under the weigh of the mountain above it. The dome fell back to the walls and landed with a resounding blast, buckling the walls still further and cracking the foundation. An avalanche of rock and debris quickly came falling through the giant hole in the ceiling, bringing with it total devastation and destruction.

Lilly had the van phased, which meant anything inside of it was phased as well, but that would only last, until their air ran out. If they didn't get out from under the mountain in less than four minutes, everyone would suffocate.

Lilly had Miley in her lap and pointed towards the back off the van. _Miley we need to go! _The surfer encouraged, not knowing if her girlfriend could hear her or not.

Miley reached deep within herself to summon every last bit of energy she had left to propel the van in the direction the surfer had pointed.

Lilly wrapped her arms tightly around the singer as she stared straight ahead as the vehicle traveled through the dark murky brown of crushed rock._ Come on baby. Don't give up. _She thought and nuzzled the back of the singer's neck in silent support.

Miley was almost tapped out. Her muscles were aching, her head was throbbing, and her lungs were burning. The singer searched for any last vestiges of strength within her, but failed to find any. The only thing she had left to cling to was the overwhelming desire not to let anyone else die.

Precious seconds passed by, each of them absolute torture for the singer, as she desperately continued to try and draw strength from an empty well, but absolutely refusing to give up.

Finally, the singer was beyond overjoyed as the murky brown in front of her eyes gave way to the much more natural look of the night sky filled with twinkling stars showing through the side door of the van.

Lilly held a hand up and gently stroked Miley's sweat soaked hair. "Breath baby. You can let go now." the surfer softly whispered.

As soon as the words left Lilly's mouth, the brunette passed out in her lover's arms, completely and utterly exhausted.

Lilly leaned down and kissed the singer's damp forehead. "And you call me super girl?" she chuckled lightly.

Once again, Jackson's sisters had come through bigtime. The older boy tapped his girlfriend on the shoulder and waited until Jordan finally looked up at him. The boy couldn't stop the smug smile that appeared on his face. "Told you so." he taunted proudly.

* * *

**Whew...Well glad that's over...okay, so we got one more chapter to tie up some loose ends...and set a few things up for the final part of the trilogy. And remember..the question...in a fight...who would win? Miley or Lilly? Would really like to hear some opinions...cause I think that is going to be the big question that I will attempt to answer in the next part of the saga. Love to read your thought and comments. Peace and Love. -Jess**

**PS - If you think the Shop is done for...think again. What till you see what they do next....**


	21. Ch 19 The Game is Over

**Well, we have come to the end of our second story...but like I promised...the Shop ain't finished just yet....**

* * *

**Chapter 17 **- **The Game is Over**

**Somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California; June 10, 2009**

Once Miley had passed out from exhaustion, it was up to Lilly to get them out of the mountains. They had no keys to the van, so they couldn't drive it anywhere. Miley probably could have gotten the van to run, but she was down for the count.

So Lilly, ever the little mastermind had Jackson put the van in neutral and steer while the surfer ran along the outside of the sliding door, pushing the van.

After about ten minutes, they found Robbie's Tahoe parked on the side of the road. After a tearful reunion and heartbreaking revelations, the three couples managed to pile in the Tahoe holding one another, while Roxy drove them home. They left the van there with Oliver and Joannie's bodies in it and called 911 after they had driven away to report an abandoned vehicle up in the mountains.

By the time they got home, it was after eleven. Everyone decided that since two of them were asleep anyway, that the other four might as well join them. After everything that had happened, Roxy felt it best to spend the night on the couch. She knew that they could protect themselves better than she could, but the bodyguard just didn't feel right leaving them after everything they had been through.

***************

**Somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California; June 11, 2009**

As the General flew in a helicopter high above the disaster zone, he was shocked by the complete and total devastation he saw beneath him. The installation that had been built into the base of a mountain was now nothing more than a memory. The mountain which used to have a relatively high peak, now barely stood half as high as any of the surrounding mountains.

Ground detail had notified him that anyone left inside the facility was most surely dead. There were a few smart people that had gotten themselves out before the mountain collapsed, but not very many. Following the inspection, it was determined that it was a futile effort to try and dig out the installation. Anyone that was buried was either already dead, or close to it. Rescue efforts would cost millions. Thus it was determined that those few remaining survivors that may exist would never be worth the cost of their rescue, and were left for dead.

The same was thought of all equipment and systems that were kept inside the installation. Everything would most likely be completely crushed or damaged beyond repair, rendering it virtually useless.

The General was finally forced to close his eyes and shake his head. "How did this happen?" the General whispered as he surveyed the damage to The Shop's former base of operations.

An African American Congressman from the Homeland Security Committee was sitting to his right. He was an older gentleman in his mid-fifties, who had almost two decades in Congress under his belt. He was the Democratic chairman of the committee from Mississippi. His name was Bernie Thompson.

Congressman Thompson turned his head from the view out his own window and glared at the General. "I think its safe to say that this operation was a complete and total failure." he remarked critically.

The General sat up a little straighter in his seat after hearing the Congressman's degrading words. "We can get them back." he firmly reassured the Congressman.

The Congressman shook his head and pointed out the window at the destruction below them. "Do you have any idea what those two little girls cost us? Billions. We lost the entire installation and everything in it. It would take years to dig everything out and I highly doubt there would be anything worth uncovering by the time we were done." he explained to the General. "Except a hell of a lot of bodies." he added.

The General couldn't believe that the Congressman was acting like he wanted to give up on the project. One battle does not win a war. "This is exactly my point Congressman. Look what they are capable of!" he insisted.

The Congressman narrowed his eyes at the General. "I have eyes general." he said in an irritated tone. "Clearly, we have absolutely no means of controlling them at this time." he commented, glancing back out the window and crossing his arms over his chest. "If in the future, a more effective way is created to control them, then we can maybe revisit the possibility of studying them with the hopes of recreating their abilities." the Congressman explained. "But right now, we can not afford to waste the money or personnel it would require to restart the program at this time."

The General shook his head in disbelief. The federal government was going to wipe this under the rug and just walk away. The General wracked his brain for anything else he could use to change the Congressman's mind. "We know who they are and what they can do." he began. "We could arrest them. Crimes against Homeland Security." He argued. "They killed at least a hundred soldiers." he yelled angrily.

The Congressman remained impassive by the General's emotional display. "If I read my reports correctly this morning, they only did that after your men executed two of their friends in cold blood." he fired back at the military officer. "And what proof do we have anyway? There will be no blood, no DNA, and no fingerprints. Are you willing to stand before a judge and tell him they used their super powers to kill everyone?" he commented snidely. Then chuckled as he thought of something else. "Wait, better yet, maybe you would suggest we try and assassinate the rest of their family and see if they'll cooperate then?" he commented sarcastically. "And what kind of jail cell do you suggest for a girl that can walk through walls and one that can knock them down with her mind?" he demanded. "Enlighten me."

The General sat back in his seat, taking in everything that the Congressman had said. He was right, but it just didn't seem like the right way to deal with the situation. Finally after a moment of quiet contemplation, the General spoke again. "You plan to let them get away with this?" he asked.

The Congressman shook his head. "Certainly not, but at this time, we have no recourse. We need to go lick our wounds and come up with a different strategy." he regretfully informed the General, then reached over and patted the man's shoulder. "Despite everything, we gained valuable knowledge. When the time is right, we'll try again." he promised the general.

The General looked back over the damage one last time. "Very well Congressman. But I'll be damned if I won't cause them at least some grief over what they've done." he vowed threateningly.

***************

**Malibu, California; June 11, 2009**

It was almost noon when Miley Stewart finally began to stir. As she slowly fought her way back to consciousness, the first thing she noticed was the warm naked body spooned tightly against her back.

Miley's heart soared to be wrapped in her lover's arms in their own bed. The singer reached down and lifted the hand that was resting on her abdomen and pulled to up to her chest and held it snugly between her breasts.

Within seconds, the hand slowly began to stroke the skin beneath its fingertips. The fingers began getting bolder, moving towards the breast and softly stroked the nipple.

Miley moaned in appreciation as her nipple hardened and she felt wetness begin pooling between her legs.

Lilly leaned forward and nuzzled her nose against the singer's shoulder, then slowly and sensuously licked the back of the singer's neck. "Good morning love." the blonde whispered into the singer's ear as she tweaked the nipple under her fingertips.

Miley turned on her back so that she could see her lover. The singer tucked a few stray blonde hairs behind the surfer's ear then slowly ran her index finger down her lower neck to the valley between her breasts. "Is everyone alright?" she asked softly.

Lilly smiled happily. "Everyone's just fine thanks to you." she said as her hand slipped down to stroke the singer's tight abs.

Miley moaned softly as another wave of warmth settled between her legs. "Good. Now can we make love?" she asked in a husky southern twang.

The surfer softly chuckled at her girlfriend's insatiable appetite as her hand slipped further down the singer's body to massage her inner thigh. "I certainly think that could be arranged." the blonde said as she leaned in to capture the brunette's mouth in a passionate kiss.

****************

The Stewart-Truscott clan was sitting around the dining room table having a late brunch together. Everyone had slept late and then each couple had amorous activities they wished to attend to before concerning themselves with nutrition.

When Roxy awoke at 8 A.M. she figured no one would be up and moving anytime soon, so after checking the pantry, she headed off to the market to get supplies so she could prepare a small feast for the family.

Jordan sat straight up in her chair as she just kept looking around the table. They had been telling her various stories for the past ten minutes and to say that the hockey player was overwhelmed would be an understatement.

Jordan set down her fork then held up both of her hands. "So let me get this straight." she said, then turned to Heather. "You and Susan took part in an experiment, and each had kids with these crazy powers." The hockey watched Heather nod then she turned to Miley. "And you're really Hannah Montana?"

Miley shrugged, unable to do much else in the face of Jordan's shock. "Surprise?" she said hesitantly.

Jackson nodded his head also. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up."

Jordan lowered her head and covered her eyes with her hand. "This is like a bad science fiction movie." she mumbled.

Lilly couldn't pass up the chance to comment on that statement. "No one's been to outer space and we do not know any aliens." she remarked. "In case you were wondering." the surfer then added.

Jordan looked up at Lilly. They were all so…fine with this. It was like it was just ordinary everyday stuff here in the Stewart household. And maybe it was. "So what does this mean for me?" she asked carefully.

Now it was Heather's turn to join the conversation. "Well, if you love Jackson and respect his family, you'll keep all this a secret." she said softly.

Jordan looked at Heather and then shook her head. "Who the hell would believe me?" she asked incredulously. And honestly, she didn't think anyone ever would. Not even the part about Miley being Hannah Montana.

Lilly giggled at Jordan's comment. "Yeah, it's a little crazy, just ask Jake Ryan." she said, while trying to contain her laughter. She felt bad for Jake, she really did, but he did it to himself.

Miley turned to Lilly and raised a questioning eyebrow at her lover. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lilly bit her lip, trying desperately to keep the smile off her face. It was mean to be happy about his current situation, but the boy had certainly caused a lot of grief for them in the past few weeks. The surfer couldn't deny that a small part of her thought he was getting what he deserved. "He's currently taking a rest at an Institution." she managed to say with a straight face.

Miley's eyes went wide at Lilly's revelation. The singer slammed her hand on the table. "Super girl say what?" she demanded.

Lilly couldn't quite tell if Miley was simply surprised by Jake's location or if she was truly upset about it. "I saw it on television yesterday before we left." the surfer explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

Jordan turned back to Jackson. She didn't know Jake Ryan, so she really wasn't too concerned about him. "So I guess the cross country family trip is really…"

Jackson nodded. "My sister's concert tour." he replied, trying to be as apologetic as possible for lying to her originally.

Miley quickly interjected after watching Jackson's face fall. He never wanted to lie to her in the first place. "You're welcome to join us if you want." she said with a smile. Jordan knew her secret, so it really didn't matter anymore.

Jordan noticed that all the teenagers at the table had eager faces, waiting for her response to Miley's question. "But my parents think I have school…" she said, trying to talk things through.

Jackson looked over at his sister with pleading eyes. _Isn't there something you can do? _He mentally begged, hoping his sister would hear him.

_I'll try. _Miley promised him, then she turned back to Jordan again. "I can reimburse them the money if that's what you're worried about."

Jordan once again looked around the table. These people were eccentric to say the least, but not in a crazy way. It was more like the Beverly Hillbillies. But the love they shared with one another was so honest and true, it was mind boggling. And they were making it pretty clear that they were willing to welcome her into their crazy world with arms wide open.

Jordan couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up inside her chest. "How the hell did life get so utterly insane in the span of forty eight hours?" she asked with a shake of her head.

Robbie Ray chuckled loudly right along with her and clapped the girl on the shoulder. He had asked himself the same thing a time or two. "Welcome to the family Jordan." he said lightheartedly.

As the rest of the family joined in on the laughter, they were all slightly surprised to hear the doorbell ring. "Now y'all relax and let me take care of whoever it is." Roxy said as she stood up to head over to the door.

As soon as Roxy opened the door, she stared wide-eyed at dozens of reporters and photographers, snapping pictures and shoving microphones and tape recorders in her face. The voices yelled out over top of one another. "Is it true that Miley Stewart is Hannah Montana?" "Is Hannah a lesbian?" "Why did Hannah try to hide who she was?"

It took less than two seconds for Roxy to slam the door in their faces.

Miley dropped her head to the table with a thud. "You've got to be kidding me!" she groaned, knowing that the reporters were there because of her.

Roxy turned back towards the rest of the Stewart family and pointed to the door. "Tell me someone else just saw dozens of reporters and paparazzi on the porch and it wasn't just my mind playing tricks on me." she asked.

Miley closed her eyes as she considered what this would mean for her life and her family. "Tell me they didn't." she whispered softly.

Jackson stood up from the dining room table and headed over to the living room to turn on the entertainment network.

The rest of the family made their way to the living room to join him.

A picture of Hannah flashed on the screen and underneath it read 'breaking news'. A pretty blonde anchor started talking. "And the hottest buzz around town is Hannah Montana being outed, in more ways than one. Several sources have indicated that the pop sensation's real name is Miley Stewart, but more shockingly, Miley is a lesbian."

Miley slapped her forehead. "Sweet niblets." she whined as she closed her eyes tightly.

The blonde anchor continued. "Several students from Seaview High, the school that Miley attends, confirmed that she has been in a very open relationship with another woman, Lilly Truscott, for well over a year now. Surfing fans might recognize that name. Miss Truscott is the reigning Southern Californian amateur surfing champion."

"Local businessman and classmate, Rico Suave had this to say about Miley. 'Yeah, Miley's a totally lesbian. She's down on the beach with her girlfriend constantly. They never take their hands off each other.'" he told reporters with a huge grin.

Lilly's knuckles cracked as she tightened her fists. "That little slime ball." she growled at the television.

Now a picture of Jake flashed up on the screen. "Some people are questioning whether Miss Stewart's outing had anything to do with Jake Ryan's recent breakdown. Ryan and Stewart dated for a brief period two years ago."

Jordan had heard Jake's name spoken in passing several times, but no one had ever mentioned that he was Miley's ex-boyfriend. "Wow." she muttered to herself.

Miley stood up from her seat on the couch and began pacing the floor. "Great, now I'm the lesbian pop star Hannah Montana aka Miley Stewart who put the Zombie Slayer in the nuthouse. That's just PERFECT." she whined.

Robbie thumbed his finger towards the front door. "Guess that would definitely explain the porch." he said.

Miley stopped in front of the chair Jordan and Jackson were sitting on together. "Well then, Jordan, if you decide not to come with us, you can expect THAT to follow you around here for quite some time." she said bitterly. Miley had tried so hard to keep her private life private. And now in the blink of an eye, it was gone.

Jordan stared up curiously at the singer. "Why would they follow me?" she wondered.

Miley sighed and she tried to explain how the paparazzi works. "It won't take them long to find out you're dating Hannah Montana's brother. Therefore, they will think you would have to know something about me or Lilly or our relationship or something." she said as she plopped back down on the couch next to her girlfriend.

Lilly could tell Miley was extremely unhappy with what's happened, but the surfer couldn't guess what she wanted to do about it. "Do you still want to do the tour?" she asked softly, putting her arm around the singer's shoulders.

Miley had a momentary flare of insecurity at the surfer's question, thinking Lilly wouldn't want to be seen with her anymore. "I'm not ashamed of us. Are you?" she said hesitantly. Lilly had never once actually given her that impression, but it was one thing to be out in a small community, it was something else to have your love life broadcast to the entire nation.

Lilly grinned at the singer and then pulled the brunette onto her lap and wrapped her in a big hug. "Of course not. We're out, remember?" she said. Truthfully, Lilly never cared who knew about them. It was always Miley that concerned herself with what other people thought. The surfer just didn't give a damn.

Robbie Ray watched as Miley snuggled into her lover's chest. "But they may not be so nice to Hannah." he pointed out sadly. Trying to make Lilly understand that if the press wanted to, they could destroy Miley's career with this.

Miley looked up at her father and furrowed her brow. "If it ends up that way, I'll finish the tour, do the last album on my contract and be done with it all." she stated.

Lilly couldn't believe what she had just heard her girlfriend say. "Miley, you'd wanna give up Hannah?" she asked quietly. The surfer knew how important singing was to her girlfriend. It wasn't about the money or the fame. It was about performing and making people happy.

Miley pointed towards the front door. "I certainly don't want to deal with THAT on our doorstep everyday." She said, then started counting off on her fingers. "And down at the beach and the mall and school…oh god, school." she moaned.

Lilly cringed at the thought of what the kids at school would think. "I bet Amber's pissed to high hell right now. She could have been Hannah Montana's best friend, if she weren't such a bitch." the surfer giggled.

"Too bad. Position's filled." Miley said as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

Lilly smiled. "Damn right it is." she said as she ran a comforting hand up and down the singer's back, then she turned back to look at Jordan. "So Jordan, would you like to come join our crazy lives?" she asked with a smirk.

Once more Jordan looked around the room. Robbie and Heather were the coolest parents she had ever met in her life. Jackson's sisters were fun to be around and two of the kindest, most giving people in the world. And if the hockey player had her way, she would marry the man who's lap she was currently sitting on. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. How could she possibly say no? "Why the hell not? I can make up the classes." she told everyone.

Everyone was thrilled with Jordan's decision, particularly because it made Jackson happy. "What are you going to tell your family?" Heather inquired.

Jordan shrugged. "The truth…that I'm going on tour with Hannah Montana." she said honestly.

"Will they be mad?" the older blonde asked, not wanting Jackson's girlfriend to harm her relationship with her own family over this decision.

Jordan tipped her head to the side and smiled at the older blonde woman. "Honestly? I've feel closer to your family than I ever did to my own, so I really don't care." she said as she snuggled into Jackson's shoulder.

Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted by Lilly's phone ringing. As the surfer reached into her pocket to retrieve the phone, she gasped as she read the caller ID. "Oh shit." she swore.

Miley was immediately concerned. "What is it baby?" she asked gently.

Lilly turned watery eyes to the singer's face. "Mrs. Oken." she whispered.

Robbie noticed his daughter's slight confusion. "They must have found the van." he explained gently.

Lilly opened her phone. "H-hello?" she managed to choke out, knowing this would not be a pleasant conversation.

"Oh Lilly." the woman on the other end of the line moaned.

Lilly tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat. "Mrs. Oken." she sighed softly, knowing what she had to be calling about.

"They found Oliver and Joannie." the older woman managed to say between sobs.

Lilly closed her eyes. "Oh my god."

"They're…"

Lilly knew she had to pretend she didn't know what had happened. "They're what?" she inquired, but already knowing the answer to her question.

"Dead." Oliver's mother whispered, then let out a heart wrenching moan.

Lilly's tears fell freely at the pain in the older woman's voice. She had just lost her only son. "No." the surfer whispered.

After a few seconds, Oliver's mother was able to explain the situation to Lilly. "They found them in an abandoned truck up in the mountains. Joannie was shot and Oliver was stabbed."

Lilly shut her eyes against the images of her friends dead bodies. "Mrs. Oken, we're so sorry. Miley and I will be happy to do anything we can to help you." she assured the older woman.

"You're both such good girls. Oliver loved you both so much." she said quietly.

Mrs. Oken's heartfelt words caused even more tears to fall from Lilly's eyes. "Thank you Mrs. Oken."

"Bless you Lilly." the older woman sighed, then hung up the phone.

Lilly closed her phone and wrapped her arms tightly around her girlfriend and buried her head into the singer's neck and cried for the lose of her best friend.

The mood in the room became quiet and somber, except for the sniffles and sobs coming from the various inhabitants of the room. Everyone was sad for what they had lost, but slightly that Oliver and Joannie were the only loses they sustained.

Finally, Lilly had calmed herself enough to lift her head from Miley's neck. "Miles, do you think that maybe we could take care of Oliver and Joannie's families?" she asked, searching her lover's eyes for understanding. "You know, with the expenses and stuff?" she said, feeling guilty for asking, but knowing that the singer would understand what the gesture would mean to her.

Miley leaned in a softly kissed the surfer on the lips. "Of course we will." she promised, then turned to her father. "Daddy, could you make it happen?" she asked.

Robbie Ray nodded his head with a sad smile. His girls compassion and selfishness made him proud beyond words. "I will darlin."

Miley turned back to her lover and gently stroked the long blonde hair. "It feels like they've taken just about everything from us." she sighed softly.

Lilly glanced around the room. "We still have our family." she reminded the singer. "And each other." the surfer added.

Miley nodded with a sad smile on her face. "I know, It's just…Things will never be the same again."

* * *

**So, Hannah has been outed...hmmm, that could lead to so many possibilities...how will everyone deal with that? Time will tell and my third and final story in the trilogy will answer that and many more questions. Not sure when the next story will start appearing...but thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this installment. Love to read your thoughts and comments. Peace and Love. -Jess**

**Here's a list of the songs that inspired the chapters:**

**Chapter 1 - Everything - Lifehouse**

**Chapter 2 - Everybody's Fool - Evanescence**

**Chapter 3 - Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell**

**Chapter 4 - Somebody Help Me - Full Blown Rose**

**Chapter 5 - Keep Holdin On - Avril Lavigne**

**Chapter 6 - Stricken - Disturbed**

**Chapter 7 - Battlefield - Jordin Sparks**

**Chapter 8 - Think Twice - Eve 6**

**Chapter 9 - Fly Away - The Cheetah Girls**

**Chapter 10 - Waking Up in Vegas - Katy Perry**

**Chapter 11 - If Looks Could Kill - Heart**

**Chapter 12 - Do It For You - Ballas Hough Band**

**Chapter 13 - Coming Undone - Korn**

**Chapter 14 - No Air - Chris Brown & Jordin Sparks**

**Chapter 15 - I Can't Do This - Plumb**

**Chapter 16 - Time - Anastacia**

**Chapter 17 - Invincible - Pat Benetar**

**Chapter 18 - The Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace**

**Chapter 19 - The Game is Over - N'Sync**


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